House of Cards
by Catsitta
Summary: Their love was like building a house of cards in a hurricane. Dystopia AU. LxFem!Light.
1. Fool's Gambit

**A/N:**

This is the alternate ending to my 30-day challenge fic, Fool's Gambit. It is not entirely necessary to read that story first, but there will be references to events in that story littered throughout. I'm planning on trying to update everyday once more, but since this isn't my summer challenge fic, I make no promises.

Anywho~Shoutout to ObviouslyADeathNoteFan, who is my lovely beta. You can thank her for how tidy everything looks.

 **Notes (mostly for you peeps skipping FG):** Light looks like the Light from the anime (despite being female). Light, Misa and Mikami all became Kiras. Mikami is dead. Both Light and L have ownership of a Death Note. This is an AU where Japan and much of the world is ruled by a corrupt government called the Oligarchy, which is a system of rule that involved a group of people. The eight members of the Oligarchy have all recently been killed by Kiras. Light's mother and sister are missing. Watari, Aiber and Wedy are dead. And Light's father was a member of the Oligarchy, but his family believed him dead since Light was four. Let's continue.

 **Summary:** Their love was like building a house of cards in a hurricane. Dystopia AU. LxFem!Light.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part One:** Fool's Gambit

He always hated hospitals.

White asylum walls and little sterile prison cells were the makings of many a nightmare. The only break in white were the blue scrubs of flitting nurses as they pushed white carts with little white pill bottles. So much white .It blinded. He was a man used to the dark, his life lived in unfurnished concrete rooms akin to bomb shelters, silent save for the constant hum of machinery. Nothing could hide in this pristine hell.

Black eyes fluttered shut for the first time in what felt like hours. His aching head reminded him that his last meal was almost 24 hours ago. He did not have the motivation to leave the hospital and find proper nourishment, like strawberry cheesecake.

"Mister...Ryuuzaki?"

He peeled open heavy lids with a groan. A doctor stood by the chair he was perched in, knees tucked to his chest, bare feet touching. If it was not for his vast influence, the hospital staff would have chased him away from this hallway hours ago. Instead, they brought him a chair and allowed him to wait by the doors of the Intensive Care Unit. Had circumstances been different, he might have quirked a slight smile at the situation.

Here he was, a bedraggled insomniac with a false name, wearing blood-soaked clothes, sitting in a hospital, waiting for the inevitable news.

Not that he wanted anyone to know he was actually L, the infamous assassin and threefold best detectives in the world. Posing as an envoy or employee worked best.

"Yes?" L did not bother with worry. His monotone manner was how he felt. After everything, he felt numb. Stark, hollow, lifeless. A person could only take so many betrayals...lose so many people.

The doctor seemed slightly taken aback by L's tone, but continued nonetheless.

"We lost her," L's heart clenched in his chest, "but we managed to bring her back. Twice. It is a miracle she survived her injuries."

After all, she arrived dead at the hospital. L wanted laugh a crazed little chortle, pretend this whole situation was just one, big, terrible joke. But he couldn't. Because for all intents and purposes, Light Yagami, should be _dead._ L nibbled on his thumb, eyes rolled towards the ceiling as he lost himself in the morbid events of the day prior.

He could still hear the gunshots, see Light's eyes widen with horror. L held the smoking gun. Hands trembling. Kira had to die. He tried to give Light a chance to relinquish the Death Note, but she held onto the black book with her final breaths. L bit deeply into his knuckle as he relived that fateful moment, watched as the life faded from brilliant, tawny eyes. She tried to kill him. She wielded his name like a deadly knife and tried to _kill_ him. The stark white pages of the Death Note gleamed the same sterile color of the hospital. Names written in blood upon paper like bone.

"Sir, you're bleeding."

L snapped back to reality and pulled his thumb from his mouth, the bitter tang of blood a nauseating reminder. He grit his teeth and stared pointedly at the floor. The doctor said no more on his injury.

"If nothing else, you should shower and change clothes," he said. L could hear him adjusting the wire-framed glasses perched on his beaky nose. "She won't wake for another day at least, likely longer. It would be best if you were in proper condition to see her instead of...in this state."

"Hm. Yes. It would be shocking, wouldn't it? Is there anything else?"

The doctor shifted, his black shoes echoing on the linoleum floor. L could see the opaque reflection of him mingling with his shadow. Such a flawless, clean floor. It was reflective...

"If I may enquire, who is this young woman to you? There is nothing written in her files and all I know of you is who your employer is." There was distrust in his voice. Not that L blamed him. The number one detective in the world was a shady character, known to make people of high profile disappear. No criminal escaped him...Not even Kira. "Why would a teenage girl be of any interest to _him_?"

"That is confidential information, doctor," L said. "But I guess there is no harm in telling you..." His mind was racing. Light had betrayed him, took his deal to give up the Death Note and be taken to safe place to start her life anew and threw it in the dirt. She tried to kill him with it instead. His first friend. His last companion. His wicked lover. She never loved him, Light made that clear too many times, but his traitorous heart still loved her. It lost itself a long time ago to that brilliant mind and youthful innocence. She was dangerous, delusional and dear to his damned heart. How he wished he could rip the organ from his chest! He peered through bangs up at the doctor, who was watching him expectantly. This was selfish, childish and vengeful, but he could not find it in him to care. Light refused his mercy, and he realized that he could not bear to see her incarcerated or dead, so he would have to be cruel to be kind. She would hate him for this..."She is my wife. Her name and mine are confidential so as to protect ourselves from those who wish us and my employer harm. Please respect that."

The doctor frowned behind those gleaming glasses. He either did not believe that anyone would marry him or he was attempt to figure out how irresponsible a man had to be for his wife to get shot repeatedly. At least no one told the man it was L who put three of those bullets into her. L bit his lip as he thought about Wedy; by shooting Light in the back, she saved L's life when he froze, helpless to react to his maddened lover broke her own wrists to free herself from the chains that held her and then used her own blood to write down his name. It was an absolute waste. Wedy did not deserve to die in that room in such a way. Light never should have even known her name.

"I see. Then for your wife's continued health, I would suggest taking care of yourself. She will need you greatly once she wakes. Recovery will not be easy. Oh, and one more thing...I would advise not allowing your _wife_ to masquerade as a boy anymore. Women should be kept safe a home, not allowed to run amok getting in men's affairs."

L held his tongue as he watched the doctor walk away. This was why he hated the Oligarchy. The eight who ruled the country may be dead due to Kira's rampage, but this country was still saturated with decade's worth of oppression. Women were expected to keep house and home, denied education after their they turned twelve. To obtain men's work or seek education above what was deemed proper was considered an offense worthy of imprisonment or even death.

Light was an amazing woman. She pretended to be a male since she was four, after her father disappeared and was presumed dead, and took care of her mother and sister by becoming the man of the house. As a prodigy, the government took special interest in the 'boy' and provided aid to help raise 'him' and 'his' family. She was quite convincing as a male too. L never realized it until he...well, stuck a hand down the front of her pants. But that was a different story.

If not for the Death Note, Light likely would have lived her life as a perpetual businessman and bachelor, providing for her family with a degree in Criminal Law. After all, she was the top scoring student on the To-Oh entrance exams, L figured that foretold many more great things in her future. But she threw it all away for a little black book. L's fingers twitched.

Both Light's Death Note, and L's own, were locked away for safe keeping.

He wondered if the shinigami Rem was still around. She followed him, as was her duty as its keeper, but after Light was shot and things spiralled out of control, the shinigami seemed to have disappeared. He suspected her vanishing had something to do with Misa's escape. The damned second Kira somehow managed to run off from her planned execution despite being in one of the highest security facilities in the country. Just what he needed; one more problem to think about.

When did his life fall so utterly out of control?

Watari was dead. Aiber and Wedy were dead. The second Kira was missing. And the first Kira was in intensive care, hanging on by a spider's thread. This was not how this case was supposed to happen. If he'd never fallen for Light, then she and Misa would be six feet under now, and he would be back to his job, Watari serving him tea and cake as he searched reports for an interesting case to pursue.

He felt himself smile, an unwilling, manic smile. An uneasy chuckle escaped his lips.

How far this man had fallen.

L raked a hand through his hair and tied to suppress the anguish that threatened to bubble up in his chest in the form of laughter. God, it hurt!

Trying to save Light from Kira had been a fool's gambit. He fumbled with dreams instead of logic, hoping that there was love enough in her heart to overcome the evil of the Death Note and that she would throw away the book and throw herself into his arms. Instead she chose power and death over his affection.

Yet here he was, waiting for her to wake up.

They would never be the same.

They broke each other like precious glass vases and now he was foolishly trying to glue them back together with his bare hands.

His wife...L stood and tried to catch his breath. He would not let anyone else get hurt. He would regain his life. Light, his damned, precious Light, would join him in this hell. They were poison to each other, but he was an addict who thirsted for her acid in his veins. His hands shook.

A shower. Yes, that was a good start. He would take a shower.

Her blood was dried to his skin.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (I thrive off feedback! Reviews are love. See y'all tomorrow.)**


	2. Arrangements

**A/N:** Hm. No reviews? C'mon. I people are reading and following. Drop me a line or two, please. It's super important and no feedback can be highly discouraging.

Anywho~This chapter was betaed by the loved ObviouslyADeathNoteFan.

 **House of Cards**

 **Part Two:** Arrangements

Pink tricked from his skin onto the tiles. The water had long since run cold, but the blood remained, staining him. L leaned his forehead against sticky shower wall, utterly exhausted. There was only so much soap and a shower could fix, and he doubted he would be getting sleep any time soon. Not with his head like this, fuzzy and throbbing it chewed on memories that would never fade. He balled his hand into a fist and helplessly beat at the wall with weak, childish punches. He wouldn't cry. There were too many of his tears shed already.

Why? Why did Light have to be Kira? Why did she have to betray him? Why did he have to love her? The next year would be a struggle, he knew, because recovery from the bullet wounds and physical therapy to regain use of her hands after breaking them would be a trial. She would be like a baby bird, powerless in his hands. Light was going to hate him for that. Neither of the liked being dependent on another, being stripped of their power.

She would learn.

He was all she had left.

With Mrs. Yagami and Sayu missing, and Misa on the run, there was no one for Light to turn to but him. This was not what he wanted. He desired her affections freely, for her to come to him as an equal, even a rival. It did not help that he was not the most nurturing type.

L sighed and turned off the water. He needed to get back to the hospital. Make a few phone calls. Get his head clear. He pinched the bridge of his nose and grabbed a towel. It was white. Why did everything have to be white? He curled his fingers into the fabric before patting down. Clothes were difficult to put on while wet. It was routine, this ritual of cleaning. To strip, shower and start the day anew. It was something he had done for years without thought.

He hated sleep, but the feel of warm water on his skin always felt cleansing, as it it could wash him down to his core. L wondered if anything would strip the stain of the last few months from his soul. He wiped his face and looked down at the towel. Pink. Would he ever be clean?

Balling up the towel, he dumped it in a bin and padded into his bedroom. It was a spartan area, with the only indulgence being the queen-sized bed taking up the whole of the area. He lived in many lavish hotels during cases, usually for security and convenience reasons, but now he was in one of his many bolt hole around the world. There were only three small rooms in each. A bathroom connected to a bedroom and a computer room for him to work in. There was a tiny kitchenette at the edge of the bedroom, and that was where Watari prepared snacks and tea...back when he was alive.

L nibbled on his thumb and opened his closest. He was an adult, fully capable of taking care of himself despite what others believed. He did not like to cook, clean and managed his finances, but he could. Whammy's House did not allow him to leave utterly inept. But he had no idea about how to care for others. When Light was released from the hospital, what could he do? She could not live here. It would be damaging to her fragile mental health to isolate her to only his company after everything she went through.

Pulling a plain t-shirt from the orderly row of hangers, L dressed himself. It felt nice to have the soft fabric against him instead of cloth that was stiff and sticky with blood. He snagged a pair of jeans and buttoned them on. L then walked back into the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was not the handsomest of men, but even he had seen better days. His perpetual dark circles looked more like someone clocked him in both eyes, and said eyes were bloodshot. His rat nest of hair laid in a tangled disarray that he did not even want to think about taking a comb to while wet. And he had lost weight. There was a sunken hollowness to his cheeks that was foreign to him, and made his nose and eyes look huge.

With a sigh, he allowed his hair to cover most of his face and stepped back.

That was not the face of a man who was ready to take care of his sick "wife". That was the face of psyche ward patient. Pride would need placing aside. Perhaps its was time to make that first of those many phone calls. He fetched his phone from where he left it on the counter and sat on the bed, bare feet curled in the beige carpet. Quickly, L tucked his knees under his chin, heels pressed to the edge of the mattress, toes dangling in the air. Much better. He could think better this way.

With one hand, he dialed a number he only called when there was either an emergency or he needed a safe place to rest after a hazardous case took its toll on his health.

L held the device at his ear with two fingers and rested his chin on the back of the palm he had laid on his knees. It rang twice.

"L? Has something gone amiss with the Kira case?"

He tilted his head so that his cheek rested against bony knuckles, "Good evening Roger. I believe we have many things to speak about. First and foremost, however, is about the closing of the Kira case. It's over. I'm returning to Whammy's House to recover."

"I expected as much, especially since you were the ward of Mister Whammy. His death must have hit you hard."

"Indeed. I find myself quite lonely without him. Strange, isn't it?"

"When are you planning on returning to England? I can book you the next flight to London."

L grimaced, "That won't be necessary Roger. There are...circumstances preventing my immediate return. When I can, I will report in posthaste."

"L...are you in some kind of trouble?"

"It could be called that. Nothing I cannot handle. But I wished to offer a warning before I returned...I will not be alone. I will be bringing someone with me."

Roger was silent. The old man had been long time friends with the founder of the Whammy House, a specialized training facility for young geniuses whose main objective was to create the perfect detective. L was the fruit of the initial program, of which he was the only survivor. The others lost their minds, driven insane by the expectations and the consequences of failure. One committed suicide, another ran off and was murdered and the third in his group was never stable to begin with and went on a killing spree. A few years ago, L had to go to Los Angeles to deal with that matter. It was not one of his prouder moments.

"Roger?"

"Is this someone a candidate for succession?"

L wanted to laugh at that. To think, Kira as the inheritor of his title as L. Oh, she was brilliant, ruthless and capable. If he wanted to, he could easily turn her into a worthy successor to his solitary throne. But that would be cruel.

"No. But they have come to be quite...important to me and will need a place to recover from their injuries. They were critically wounded, and I find that I am...not prepared to nurse another human being back to health."

"Whammy's House is a private facility. You have no right to bring outsiders here."

L knew this would be a difficult conversation, "Roger. It is not that this person is incapable of handling my mantel as L, quite the opposite, had circumstances been different, I would have brought them to Whammy's House for induction the day I met them. However, things are as they are, and I am asking for this favor. Maybe, once they are recovered, they can take over Quillish Whammy's post as Watari."

"You trust this person that much?"

Trust? No. Trust was shattered a long time ago. But love overcame all, yes? His foolish heart refused to give up on her. He would cling to Light until her dying breath and forever after.

"I've lost a great deal in the past three months. Allow me to keep someone important to me close. After all, I've never asked for much."

"Very well, we will prepare a room for them for when you arrive."

"Thank you, Roger."

The line went dead.

Now, arrangements were made. All he had to do was wait. Once Light was safe to leave the hospital, he would take her to England where she could recover. All that needed to be done before then was some paper work. L uncurled and snapped shut the phone.

He could not call himself the best three detectives in the world if he could not forge some documents.

Within the hour, he had falsified all the needed papers to get Light out of the country and was ready to return to the hospital. As he turned off his computers, his stomach growled. L blinked. A stop by convenience store might not go amiss. If what the doctor said was true and the best thing he could do for Light was get healthy, then eating was the next step.

L grabbed his wallet and keys and tucked them away, then grabbed his laptop bag. There was no point in being slack. Time would pass no faster if sat staring at the wall than if he worked on some pathetically simply cases that the police could not figure out for some reason. With one last look over the room, L slipped into the night.

Morning would come soon enough.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (Scheming L is scheming. But what will Light think of his plans once she wakes? Please review! A few words of feedback mean a great deal to a writer. See y'all tomorrow.)**


	3. Chasing Dawn

**A/N:** Well, posts will be slightly later in the day since it's no longer the weekend and work is one of those necessary things. Anywho~I'm hoping this chapter is formatted correctly. FN keeps eating it.

+NOTE+ I have no idea what happened to my formatting! It bugged out.

Shoutout to FireWolfAbianvi, albino tabby, iwanka94, knightvalen and UnsightlyDreams for reviewing! Your feedback is super important to me. ^_^

iwanka94: Well, hello back Poland from Florida. Heh

Knightvalen: +whistles innocently+

UnsightlyDreams: Yes. I'm planning on updating this daily unless circumstances prevent me from doing otherwise. This is not a 30 day challenge, so I cannot say how long this will end up and I'm not going to force myself to post every day even if I hit that wall known as writers block. But my objective this summer is to write daily, so these kinds of things help. Also, glad to see you back. Hope you had fun on your vacation. Heh.

 **House of Cards**

 **Part Three:** Chasing Dawn

"Mister Ryuuzaki."

L groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Wait. Sleep? He looked around. Right, he was in the hospital. He'd been staying in a chair outside the ICU recovery rooms for almost a week waiting for Light to wake up. Even insomniacs succumbed to sleep eventually. L rolled his shoulders and glanced up the doctor. It wasn't a sight one saw every day, a man sleeping curled up in a plastic chair, a laptop balanced precariously on his knees.

"Yes, doctor?"

He pushed up those wire-framed glasses of his and cleared his throat awkwardly, "This is against our policy, but given your employer's demands..."

L shifted, more alert now than he had been in a week.

"She is awake. I would say she isn't ready for guests, but she keeps panicking and it would be counterproductive to her recovery to medicate her further."

"I will do what I can to calm her."

"Very good. Come along. She is in room 301."

L slipped from the chair and quickly zipped his laptop away in the bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, the detective followed the doctor, hands buried in his back pockets and his back slouched in a manner that made many a stranger cringe.

When the door to the recovery room opened, L felt his heart race. Her voice. She was alive, awake and asking questions. Well, demanding answers more like it, but this was wonderful progress. He shuffled further into the cramped little space, ignoring the many machines blinking and humming around him. He reached for the delicate blue curtain that offered Light privacy around her bed and pulled it aside.

He wasn't sure whether he was overjoyed or horrified. Light looked terrible. There were bruises on her face from where she fell. Her eyes were bloodshot and moist in a sickly way. She was deathly pale and someone thought it was a grand idea to cut most of her hair off instead of washing the blood out. She looked more like a boy than ever before. L then saw the real heart of the damage. Bandages covered her shoulder and chest, and both of her hands were in braces, the fingers tied into complete immobility.

There was a good chance that she would always experience pain after this event. Twice she was shot in the shoulder, and her first injury had pierced bone and was still healing when she was hit again near the same location. Then there were her hands, with fractured wrists supporting broken thumbs and other cracked digits. Fingers almost never healed quite right.

Finally taking notice of him, Light's tirade, whatever it was about, ceased. She stared at him in silence, somehow paling further than before.

"Why?" she croaked, her throat clearly raw from sleep and breathing tubes.

L stepped a little closer, ignoring the hawk-like eyes of the doctor and nurses.

"I love you," he said simply. "People do foolish things for the ones they love."

"You should be dead," Light said in startlingly dark voice. There was that spark. At least it had not faded from her. It would not be Light if not for that fire.

Coolly, he sighed and rolled his gaze at the ceiling, "Light did die. Her wounds were fatal...but here we are. Both of our _hearts_ are still beating."

Light sneered. Ungrateful brat. He should burn the Death Notes. They were both better off not remembering this Kira nonsense. At least then they could mend their differences and return to being friends and lovers. He quite missed those days.

"I can tell the whole world what I know about the infamous L."

"Light could..." L sat down on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the various IV tubes and other wires. He was not quite sure what half of these things were. Many things we was, but medical professional he was not. One of the nurses tried to intervene, but the doctor held him back. After all, the patient wasn't having a fit anymore. "...but then Light would only expose her own little secret. Yet again, my dear, we are at a stalemate."

Those eyes. Piercing, intelligent eyes that were still foggy with drugs, illness and pain, fluttered shut. "I hate you," she whispered.

L smiled a small, ironic smile, "There is a fine line between hate and love. I hope once Light recovers more, she will find the humility to be thankful for the one who couldn't hate her enough to stop loving her."

"Go away."

"As Light wishes. I will return tomorrow."

"Don't bother."

"Such drama. I'm not so unfeeling that I would allow my dearly beloved to recover alone in the hospital."

Light grunted and turned her head away.

L tugged the curtain back into place and faced the doctor, who was appraising him in his usual, politely disdainful way. "Care to explain?" the man said.

He tapped his chin, staring up at the ceiling for a moment, then he looked the doctor in the eyes and said, "No."

"No?"

"I believe that is an easy answer to understand. Now, I have work to do. Goodbye." L walked straight back to his usual seat. He wouldn't let it show or say a word about the fact, but his whole body ached. This next year would be full of hurdles and he could already tell that Light didn't want his help. But what could he do? It wasn't exactly easy to change the mind of a person who was dead set on killing you and was prepared to die trying.

Desperate not to think about the troubles that approached now that Light had awoken, L poured himself into his work, fingers flying across the keyboard of his laptop for endless hours. It was routine and familiar. No one bothered him. They were used to his presence. Even when they came rushing into the hallway, a patient bleeding his guts out needing to be in surgery five minutes ago, he was unfazed and mostly unnoticeable because of it.

He yawned.

Surprising in itself.

The hallway was dim, signaling that it was nighttime for the normals of the world. L blinked at the time at the corner of his screen. It was closing in on 6 a.m. Dawn was peeking over the horizon now, alerting the break of a new day. Yet he felt numb. A new day. Another step towards Light's recovery. Another trial that faced him.

Maybe today she would be more willing to tolerate his presence.

After all, in this big, bad world, they were all the other had left. Light's father was dead at her hands. Her mother and sister missing. L was an orphan and after Watari passed, the closest thing he ever had to a father was snatched away. Neither of them really had friends. And as far as anyone was concerned, Light Yagami was dead. He didn't exist anymore. The prodigal son fell with the Oligarchy. No one alive, save for L, knew he was Kira. And the Light in his care, she would never become Kira. He wouldn't allow it.

The sound of expensive shoes echoing through the hall caught L's attention.

It was the doctor.

He held two cups of coffee. Sleep must have eluded the man last night.

He didn't say much, the doctor, but neither did L. They didn't like each other. Yet they never said anything on the matter. Thus it came as a surprise when the man bent and offered one of the steaming cups. L, never the biggest fan of coffee, felt the instant urge to decline, but instead, held his tongue. He peered at the doctor with suspicious eyes before accepting the proffered cup without a word of thanks.

Hesitantly, he took a sip. His eyes widened and he jerked the cup away.

"Is something amiss?" asked the doctor.

"It's sweet..."

"Nauseatingly sweet," he confirmed, sipping on his own drink.

"How do you-? Light."

He adjusted his glasses, "Yes. Your wife was quite informative. She had quite a bit to say about her husband yesterday afternoon."

"Anything good?"

"Hm. Depends on your definition. There were many threats involving various sweets being used in rather creative ways to end your life. And of course, she mentioned something about taking tea with your cup of sugar. Quite the temper that one has on her."

L sipped his drink, "Hm. Indeed."

"Sir," the doctor said. "I think I'm beginning to understand."

"What exactly?"

"I think you know. I'm not going to pry, because it is my business to heal patients, not question their career choices, but I'm not stupid."

"No. An IQ of 136 is evidence enough of that."

"How?"  
L drummed his fingers on the outside of the cup, "It is my business to pry. Have a nice day, doctor."

The bespectacled man clenched his hand hard enough to indent the cup, but said no more. Instead he turned to start his shift. L sighed.

This was going to be a dreadfully long day, wasn't it?

-tbc-

 **A/N:(So, we have an awake Light. A phone call to Whammy's House. A suspicious doctor. And L is calling Kira his wife? Now how is this all going to blow up in his face?  
Please review! I was so happy to see the feedback for last chapter and hope to see this fic be well received. Now, I normally don't ask this, but I'm going to be a naughty author and ask for span five reviews. That is the number from last chapter. Why am I doing this? Well it effects nothing, I'll still post daily, but I really want to hear what my readers have to say. So please, write a few words for me. Thank you.  
See everyone tomorrow.)**


	4. Silence is Golden

**A/N:** Well yesterday was a fiasco. Why FF? Why must you eat my coding every time?

Also~Please leave feedback. It's very important. Even if it's just a word or two.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Chapter Four:** Silence is Golden

Light was giving him the silent treatment.

Most people would give in after a day or two and respond to something provoking the other party said or did. Not Light. Even at her lowest point, she clutched her pride with bloodied arrogance, refusing to bend even if it would save her life. Thus that was how two weeks passed without a single word of conversation between them. L wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this insulted in his life. She was acting like a child!

Every day he visited her. He sat by her bed, asked her questions, told her about news around the world, about the weather outside...about anything and everything that came to mind. Yet she remained steadfast, staring resolutely at the wall no matter what came out of L's mouth. She could certainly speak. When the doctor or a nurse prompted for an answer, she would reply concisely before returning to ignoring L. He was fully prepared to deal with a screaming, thrashing, threatening train wreck, and instead, he was stuck staring at the side of Light's expressionless face.

It would be better if she berated him. A quiet Light was a dangerous one. He would do most anything to get inside that stubborn head to rearrange a few wires and tighten some screws.

Instead he was dismissed by the medical staff, his visitation time over for the day.

L was sick of it.

Light would get over her snit and talk to him! They had much to discuss, especially since he was planning on moving her to a private facility in England soon. It was getting much too busy here, with the government attempting to regain control over a population dissolving further into civil war. Kira broke the chains of oppression; now her supporters were determined to take control of their countries. It would be a long time before peace returned. The scars left by the Oligarchy were simply too deep to fade with a brushstroke from the negligent hand of a false death god. So it was best to escape Japan while tensions were hot, but as of yet, unbroken. Skirmishes sparked, but any day someone could do something to throw this war into an all consuming massacre.

He did not want to be in Japan when it all fell apart.

That was why he followed the doctor into the recovery room determined to win this petty feud between him and Light.

Typically, he would offer polite greetings and sit on the chair by Light's bed. On occasion, he would perch himself on the edge of the cot, pinky finger stroking the folds in the fabric draped over her legs. Today L tossed aside the manners Watari drilled into his skull and yanked the thin sheet off the cot. Light tried to twist and grab the fabric, but pain and restricting bindings hindered her movements, and she could only jerk awkwardly onto her side.

Fire burned into those eyes. Hot and hateful.

Perfect.

Nurses began to protest, but oddly enough, the doctor kept them back with a lazy wave of his hand. L wasn't going to hurt Light, though if she kept squirming, she would rip open her stitches.

"Light should be still. Too much movement would cause her injury," he said, idly folding the sheet he ensnared. "It would not do to have a setback like that."

Her mouth popped open, signaling clearly and intent to speak, but she snapped her jaw shut with a click and shifted off of her side onto her back once more. She was fuming. Good. Emotion was just what L needed to get this brat to fall off her high horse and remember that she was no longer in control.

"Come now, Light should say what he has to say." She clenched her jaw. He could see the muscle twitching. L suppressed the urge the grin. It wasn't that hard, but the inclination was there. "This silent treatment is getting old. It's childish, pointless and quite frankly, beneath Light's intelligence."

An attempt at a crude hand gesture was what he received. It consisted mostly of her quirking her unbroken fingers, but it made its point. L rolled his eyes to the ceiling. This was becoming an annoyance.

"If Light refusing to speak, then I will be forced to assume his mind," L warned. "Which I find is always in accordance with my wishes. Never a protest." Light twitched. "Very well. Light has forced my hand, I hope he is pleased with himself."

L laid the folded sheet on the chair and stepped into the hallway. He returned with a small paper cone full with water from the hydration tank. It was cool to the touch, chilling L's fingers through the thin, waxed paper. Light, being stubborn as ever, was staring at the wall opposite of him. Her loss. One should never turn their back on the enemy.

Or anyone for that matter.

You never knew when someone would leapt behind you and bury a knife between your shoulder blades.

Or when they would dash water over your head.

Light gasped and tried to wipe the water away, but L was quick to pin her wrists.

"Tsk, tsk. Light shouldn't get his bandages wet."

"Then you shouldn't have dumped cold fucking water on my head, you asshole!"

"Ah! Does this mean Light is speaking to me again? How delightful. We have much to discuss."

"Get off me!"

"Here, let me help. Light's all wet."

He plucked a few tissues from the kleenex box sitting on the bedside stand. With exaggerated delicacy, he dabbed her hair with the tissues until the dripping stopped. Then he turned her face with his finger and wiped her cheeks and nose with perfunctory swipes, ignoring her protests as he did so. Once satisfied, L chucked the soaked tissues into the bin and began to pluck at her locks. The shortened strands were in disarray and he knew how much Light liked being tidy.

Light squirmed, but pain stilled her.

"Leave my hair alone."

"It's all messy. Not at all like Light prefers. I'm merely arranging it. There, much better."

"Fuck off."

"That's not polite," L said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Light glared daggers at him. He turned his gaze onto the wall behind her head. "Now, the doctor has informed me that Light can be moved to a different facility soon, which means we will be traveling abroad shortly. I have taken care of all the documentation Light needs to be transported and once I have final approval, we will move Light. There, Light will start a more advanced physical therapy program and finish his recovery period."

Light's expression became calculating, "Where exactly are we going?"

"That is not information to be discussed in mixed company."

"Ah. Well, how about where will I go once I heal? I cannot stay in hospitals forever."

"Why Light, does he think I will abandon him?" L leaned back slightly, contrasting to his usual slumped position. "Light will live with me, as is proper."

"P-proper! What the fuck are you talking about?"

L stood, fetched the sheet and laid it back over Light's legs. The teen was pissed. Served her right. "I will be back tomorrow, Light. By the end of the month, we should be able to leave."

"What if I don't want to? Ever think of that?"

"Light gave up his right to make decisions when he nearly killed himself for the, oh, third time."

"Third?"

L tapped his chin, "Light is too young to make choices that keep him safe, so it is my responsibility to take certain precautions."

"Oh, you so you're my father now?"

He bit onto his thumb and walked towards the door, "No. Though Light does deserve a thorough spanking. I do not believe anyone ever took a belt to Light for his impertinence."

She colored and one of the machines began to beep. The doctor laid a hand on L's shoulder.

"I will have to ask you not to upset the patient."

Curious. Of all the comments to make Light's heart race, why that last one? One would think the fiasco with the water and the shouting that followed would have heightened her pulse more than a veiled threat to bend her over a knee and smack her a couple times. He blinked. The pervert in him quickly jumped on the image. L banished the vulgar thought with a grimace.

It wasn't his fault his thoughts kept drifting to handcuffs and blindfolds. Ever since they met, Light's sassy, violent nature invoked him to respond in kind. She misbehaved, he disciplined. Until now, he didn't quite get why Light accused him of getting off on chaining them together during those early days. Had his brain just caught up?

Bah! It didn't matter.

There was no point in lingering on peculiar thoughts when he had plane tickets to book and further arrangements to make. He should call Roger again soon. Once they were in England, L had a feeling he would need the old man's help to get their lives back on track. Because Light had nothing and L had made an impulsive choice to rectify the matter. It was almost laughable how easy it was to create the documentation to make his plan official. He even had the gold-trimmed certificate as proof.

As he stepped out of the ICU and into the main body of the hospital, L wondered how Light would react when he finally told her that they were married?

-tbc-

 **A/N: (Hm. England is up next. Like it, love it, hate it? Please leave a review! Let's see...I'd love to reach 15 total reviews before next chapter. I'm not asking much. C'mon, just share a few words of thought so I can keep growing as a writer and help this story stay on track. Yeah? It's honestly very unsettling when there is little response. And I can't fix what is wrong if no one tell me. Yup. Anywho~ I'm having fun writing this regardless, and I'm diligently working on another LxLight fic that will be completed before I post the first part of it. See y'all tomorrow.)**


	5. Long Live the Queen

**A/N:** Hey everyone. I'm not feeling myself right now and I've been nursing a nasty head ache for a couple days now on top of that. I'll be taking just a brief break. My next update should come no later than Saturday evening, or early Sunday.

Also, me and my beta have noticed some errors and will be updating this story soon to correct them.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Chapter Five:** Long Live the Queen

Getting Light onto the plane was the easy part of his grand plan.

With some aid from a certain bespectacled doctor and a liberal usage of his hostage taking skills, L wheeled a half-asleep Kira through the small, private airline and onto the correct aircraft with minimal hassle. The difficult part of this whole journey came when the drugs began to wear off. The heavy-eyed teen groaned awake, suddenly quite aware of her surroundings.

"Where am I? What did you do? Is this...is this a plane? You fuck. I told you I didn't want to go abroad. But no. You never listen!" L quirked his head to the side as Light continued her rant. "I shouldn't even be on a plane. What happens if we hit turbulence? And how is this even legal. Wait. It's not. But when has that ever stopped you? I don't appreciate being kidnapped again."

"Hm. Light is quite talkative with pain killers in his system," L said. "While I find his shouting amusing, I must point out that we are not alone and that the individuals across the walkway are giving us strange looks."

Light shut up, but there was death in her eyes. How fortunate for him that the Death Notes were safely secured in a vault on the other side the ocean. L pat Light's hand and returned to his ever-present laptop. They were going to be in the air for many more hours given that it took half a day to travel between Japan and England nonstop.

After about half an hour, Light apparently recovered from her embarrassment.

"Why are you taking me to England," she growled. "and do not give me the lame excuse of 'to protect me' or even 'to prevent Kira from returning'. You have a reason. A plan. You always do."

L continued to tap away at the keys for a few minutes before he paused, dead eyes fixated on the dim glow of the screen. Night would be upon them soon. "Light is correct. I am not without reasoning behind my actions," he shut the lid of the laptop. "Let it be said for now that I love Light. Even if he chooses to spit on my affections."

"You're shipping me across the ocean instead of stranding me in Japan like an actual genius with any common sense would...because of love?" Light sneered at him, reminding him of Kira's manic grin as she tried to write his name in blood. He wanted his lover back. Even if she did not love him, at least she wasn't actively trying to kill him. L would have been better off if he never laid eyes on the pretty face sitting next to him. "You're a joke."

"Yet the only one laughing is Light," L said lightly, tucking his knees to his chest and turning his head away. He needed rest. Getting this plane trip arranged was a hassle and a half given the state of Japan's government and Light's condition. With a few phone calls to special people and some money-greased palms, he secured these two seats at the cost of some precious sleep. An insomniac such as he both loathed and loved slumber. He needed it to survive, but it was a waste of time...and now he was sitting on a very long plane ride with no internet, a moody sociopath and almost a week without proper sleep. If he wasn't careful, he'd start hallucinating soon and need medical treatment just to rest his eyes.

It happened once, and once was enough to traumatize him into succumbing to sleep for a couple hours every few days at the minimum.

L let heavy lids droop shut.

There was little trouble his companion could cause on a plane.

.

The scent of chocolate chip cookies caught L's attention.

He lifted his head from the table and grunted as he pulled a piece of paper sticking to his cheek. L frowned at it. It was a newspaper. He laid the black-and-white print down to look around the room. A kitchen. It was airy and cozy, with tiled floors and large windows. At the stove stood a tall, lithe woman in a tight, little skirt and a frilly white apron. L blinked. She had nice legs.

His gaze traveled up until it rested on the back of that auburn head. Long, straight locks laid between her shoulder blades. Swiftly, she turned, a plate in her hands. L frowned. He could not see the woman's face, her eyes obscured by a heavy fringe. She was smirking. Why did that make a shiver of fear crawl down his spine?

The woman sashayed to the table and laid the plate down at the center.

"Just the way you like it," she purred in a voice a few decibels lower than expected. L frowned, feeling ill. Something wasn't right here. "Why so sad, Lawli?"

She giggled.

L stood.

Red flashed from behind that fringe, revealing dazzling crimson eyes that cut through to the soul.

"I made them for you," she said. "Come now, this is what you wanted. Aren't I a good little _wife."_

Then everything became startlingly clear. This was Light. No. This was Kira. L shook as his hand reached for a cookie without his consent. As he brought the sweet to his lips, the wild laughter of the shinigami filled his skull. He stared at Light.

With a demon grin she watched as he bit into the treat.

"I'll take care of the world while you sleep," Light said, sweeping back her hair and sitting on the table. He could feel the world tilt at a dangerous angle. He couldn't breathe. Daintily, Light plucked up the newspaper from the table and folded it into a paper crown. As he slid to the floor, she placed it on her head, "Long live the queen."

.

L snapped awake with a smothered gasp and scanned his surroundings with animal alertness. His throbbing heart resonated in the silence. He wiped his brow. Night was thick upon them. Most of the other passengers were sleeping, the lights in the cabin long since turned off. Most...

She was staring out the window, gazing at the stars through wispy clouds. He could see the exhaustion on her face. L sighed. He had worried she would misbehave while he slept, but he kept forgetting that this woman...this girl, was going through an emotional hurricane. The winds of change were ripping apart her castle made of playing cards, and no matter how much she bled, she kept constructing towers. L was right there, weathering the storm while hiding half the aces she needed to succeed.

Before she found the Death Note, Light lived a life of secrecy, helplessness and fear. All that mattered was success, because that was what would keep her little family safe. Then came a little black book that started the storm swirling. In a few short months she lost what remained of her freedom, her family and her fractured sanity. Now, here L was taking more from her because she was dangerous when given power. In a way, he forced her to not only live, but recover and give up what gave her a lethal sense of hope.

After an attempt at saving the world from corruption, all she had for her efforts was a home country on the brink of war, a dead father and wounds that could possibly cripple her for the rest of her life.

What exactly could she do on a plane?

With two broken wrists, enough bandages on her chest to corset her into a straight-backed position and nowhere to go—simply behaving and watching the sky filter by was perhaps her only option. Once she recovered more in England, Light would find some way to get revenge for every second of helplessness she felt at his hands. She would hurt him for the pain of making her live a life she was clearly had given up on.

For now, Light sat in elegant boredom, her tawny eyes glittering scantly in the dark, her pose and expression fit for royalty.

As if feeling his eyes upon her, Light turned.

"Why?" she asked.

L drummed his fingertips on bent knees, "That means many things, Light."

"You know what I'm asking."

"Light is smart but he is quite bad at listening," L said softly. "Everything I do is because I love you. If I have to say it a million times I will."

A scowled marred those previously fanciful features. Kira had returned.

"Save your breath."

L said naught more for the rest of the flight. There would be plenty of things said once they reached Whammy's House and he had to come clean about what he'd done.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (The truth shall be revealed, because next chapter will involve a few familiar faces and add a new layer to the conflict between Light and L. Also, my goal is still to reach 15 reviews. Between five chapters, I really do not see that as an unreasonable goal. Anywho~ I will see everyone this weekend when I'm feeling more myself.)**


	6. Truth

**A/N:** I'm feeling much recovered after a short break. So with little ado~

Shout out to Diana Wolfe and cygnusx10 for reviewing.

Cygnusx10: Light is emotional because, well, who wouldn't be after your world has fallen apart? I keep thinking about how manic he was in the last episode of the manga and how a survivor of a mental break like that might react to situations as they recovered. As a long sufferer of panic attacks, I know that emotions are frayed after a fit like that and it can take months to recover fully. Anywho~ L is still a manipulating bastard, he's just in love. Hard to keep him completely cannon in a romance. Though, he's more obsessive than romantic...

Anywho~

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Chapter six:** Truth

A representative from Whammy's House arrived in a sleek, black sedan shortly after the flight ended. Light protested every second of being wheeled to the car, but L was good at securing her down at this point. She was fuming in silence by the time they reached the car.

The man, a nondescript employee of Roger's, codename J, opened the door of the car in silence. He wore all black and held himself like a proper butler, the brim of his driving hat shadowing his face discreetly. They exchanged nods and L positioned Light in the back seat. As he slid in next to her, Light's eyes flashed with indignation for the umpteenth time since she woke up. Her emotions were at a manic high since her brush with death, as if coming to terms with Kira had broken the stoic barricade to splinters. She was nervous, twitchy and quick to start a fight. He missed the relatively calm girl from before, who would throw a punch in anger when she didn't like something L said.

As of now, she was snappish like a bobcat in a claw trap.

"We'll reach the new facilities soon," L said quietly. Roger would meet them there. After all, the private medical building was a wing of the unknown institution that raised him to be the nameless man he was today. "I'm sure Light would like some rest and some pain killers."

"I would like to go back to Japan."

"That will never happen, Light," he turned to look out the tinted windows at the passing scenery. "England is your home now."

Had she the energy, she would have smacked him a good one, he could see it in the way she tensed and the way her jaw twisted. She was rigid in her seat, quite out of her depth. L was in complete control, and Light was at his mercy. He could dandle her about as he pleased and there was little she could do to stop him. If he wanted to steal her away to the middle of nowhere, nothing would stop him except his own morals, and those were terribly strained these days.

Tired. He was so very tired.

The rest of the long car ride from the airport was in uncomfortable silence, the only sound that of their breathing and the clatter of small debris against the windows. He watched Light nod into partial slumber, obviously in pain and exhausted by it. She would need a few days to recover from this trip before starting her new physical therapy sessions.

"We are here, sirs," announced J as they slid into the gravel drive. He walked around and opened the door. L peered out into the gleaming afternoon sun and stared at the familiar gates that towered above. The wrought iron was touched with ivy and rust, but was no less impressive in its ornate design. A script WC marked the center. Trees cast cool shadows onto the pebbled road beyond the gates. In the distance stood the fine, stone manor that was Whammy's House, home to exceptional orphaned children. As far as the public was concerned, it was merely a place for child geniuses to go to be schooled when their parents either died or could no longer care for them. But those who walked those halls knew better.

Whammy's House had a darker side, bloodied by ambition. Quillish and Roger meant well, but their earliest program landed them with deeply disturbed and dead children. When L assumed his title, reforms brought light to this place. His heirs would never know those harrowing first days where the minds and bodies of the children were pushed to the limit in order to create perfection.

They were clever and dangerous creatures still, but no one would ever be quite the same as L the assassin.

His reverie was broken by the gates opening and a tall, aging gentleman in blue suit and glasses stepped forth. Stone-faced and cold, Roger approached as a man might his execution. L slid out of the car, unshod feet quiet against the gravel, and bowed.

"Roger," he said.

"L...Welcome home."

"I must admit, I am thankful to be home." He shoved his hands into his back pockets. "This last case had me bracing myself for death. Never have I been closer to it in my life..."

"Well. It is fortunate you survived. The boys are not ready to assume the title of L."

"Will they ever be?" L was wistful. "Mine is a name with many implications."

"You set the standard," Roger groused. He was done with this idle chit-chat. "Now, where is your companion? You made arrangements to have them lodged in our medical wing without divulging any information."

L turned and assisted Light out of the car. The teen was unreadable. She gazed at Roger with unfaltering gravity, her injuries obscured by the way she held them. It was difficult for her to look imposing as she was, her loose sweat pants and baggy jacket dwarfing her sickly frame. But she maintained her prideful aura, determined not to allow her health or appearance to humble her.

"This is Light," L said, motioning at her. "Light, this is Roger. He is one of the founders of Whammy's House for Exceptional Children, where I grew up."

Wordlessly, she bowed.

Roger remained unimpressed.

"Light needs rest. May we proceed?"

Reluctantly, Roger waved J away and led the pair towards the manor.

"Tell me, L, why you felt that bringing an outsider here was a good idea," he said in a casual voice, pitched just for L to hear. The detective sighed. This question. Always this question. "Who is he to you?"

They were near the front doors of the house.

Now was as good as time as any to come clean with his deception.

"She is my wife," he replied airily, as if it were as normal a thing to declare as a change in the weather. Both Roger and Light stopped walking. L turned. They were equally pale. "Is something the matter?"

" _Wife_?"

"Quite impressive. It's not easy to speak in harmony like that with a stranger."

Roger flushed red, "What is the meaning of this L?"

"Yes. What exactly do you mean by wife, _L_."

The detective fished around in his front pocket, pulled out a piece of gilded paper and unfolded it. With a careless flick of his wrist, he presented the document.

"I believe wife is what one calls the woman who is legally bound in union to him."

"You never mentioned this!" Roger then shot a glance at Light, who was shivering, her eyes narrowed into fiendish slits. "And this is a female?"

Light grunted. L sighed, "Yes. Biologically speaking as well as according to the gender Light identifies as, Light is female. Though he is most comfortable being referred to as he as well as dressing as a male due to certain circumstances. When Light is more comfortable here in England, this will change."

"You're now determining how I identify?" Light grit out in a tight voice.

"Light is a girl. He confessed how he wishes to be known as a while ago. There is no shame in wanting to be female, nor is there weakness in needing to maintain a male facade until Light feels safe enough to act as a woman. If being seen as a male is a defensive mechanism that suits him, then who am I to deny Light that security. But once Light is well again, there will be no reason for him to hide and he can be as he wishes to be."

Light bodily turned from L, "Sir. Could you please escort me to the medical wing. I can't look at his face right now."

Roger, surprisingly, nodded and placed a kind hand on her shoulder. He cast a disapproving glare in L's direction before guiding Light inside the manor. The detective stared at their backs. There was going to be a fall out. Whether he would crash and burn because of his manipulations was yet to be foreseen. Right now, he just wanted a moment of privacy to figure out his next plan...

"Woah! He's back. Guys. Come look. L's back!"

He stiffened as a dozen young children popped from various rooms with excited grins. A few teachers even peered into the hallway to see if the ruckus was true.

L saw his quiet vanish into a puff of smoke as a familiar trio emerged from the crowd.

Tbc

 **A/N: (Hmm. L finally confessed, and Light is seeing red. And how will the boys react to a certain bit of news? See y'all tomorrow.)**


	7. Beautiful Disaster

**A/N:** Seriously people, I'm getting really nervous. No reviews last chapter and pretty much three overall for the past three chapters. Like it, hate it, love it, please say something. If there is no one reading this story, then it gets kind of hard to keep writing. I love this story, but as of late, my only feedback is coming from my lovely beta.

Anyway, I'll prolly start updating one or two of my FF7 fics since I have time to write today.

Onto the story.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Chapter Seven:** Beautiful Disaster

They boys had grown since the last time he had seen them.

L appraised the triple threat standing before him with emotionless calm, dead eyes unblinking at the children clustered around him. Mello, the eldest, was significantly taller than the other two. His blond hair framed his face girlishly; his clothes were skin-tight. Matt, a redhead just a year and a few months Mello's junior, fidgeted restlessly, his eyes flicking constantly to the paused screen of his gameboy. L could smell the faint aroma of cigarettes—the boy had yet to drop the habit he picked up before he graced Whammy's doorstep. As for Near, he stared at the floor in a somber fashion, his plain pajamas only a shade darker than his riotous mass of white hair. He was the most like L in his mannerisms, but there was a distance in his gaze that proved he would never be as sociable as the odd detective, though he was possibly far more ruthless because of it.

These were his heirs. Each was unique in their upbringing, their mindsets and their strengths. Near was the most intelligent and cutthroat of the group, his tactics dry and brutal and utterly without consideration for greater consequences. But, he was quiet, withdrawn. It was difficult to be a detective when you were too caught up in your own complex, little world. Hopefully, once the young boy reached adulthood, he would open up a degree.

Matt was the more creative and emotionally stable of the group, his IQ mere fractions below Near's, and he was becoming a computer wizard of unparalleled skill, which meant he was perhaps the most ideal candidate for the position as L. However, he had recently begun to take steps back into the shadows, focusing his efforts on his games and hacking into government computers as a joke. It was clear he no longer desired the title...

Then there was Mello. A wild firecracker of emotions and sheer brutality. He was "rescued" from the mafia recently, had done his fair share of killing at the tender age of thirteen, and was utterly vulgar. If he wasn't cursing, he was threatening bodily harm to everyone around him, especially Near. He apparently hated the albino child with a passion, but Matt's constant presence kept the teenager relatively passive. However, he was brilliant and a man of action, even if his impulsive hotheadedness would someday be his downfall.

"Hello, boys," L said at last.

"Where the fuck have you been, you bloody bastard?" Mello proved to be just as elegant as he remembered. "And who the fuck was that fuck you brought here? Don't fucking tell me he's going to be your damn heir, because I'll pop a cap in his head if he is."

Matt sighed and tugged at Mello's arm, "Come on, breathe and count to ten like the nice lady told you to do when you get mad."

"I don't need to fucking breathe and count!"

"Then why are you yelling?"

"Because I'm bloody angry at this wanker for running off and coming back with some pansy-arse bastard who could replace us!"

L shook his head, "Light is not my replacement, nor is he in the running to be my heir."

"He shouldn't be here then!"

" _No, he shouldn't."_

They all fell silent and turned as Roger approached, the small crowd of children parting to allow the headmaster through. He was not an unkind man, but nobody wanted to be under his feet when he was in this mood. L slouched further than usual. Why could nothing go as he planned anymore?

"However, there are extenuating circumstance which will be discussed at a later date," Roger said. "L, your room is ready for you...I believe you came here to rest. So go rest. But in the morning, we will be having a word on the matter of your _companion._ "

Deciding it best to take a hint and say nothing more about Light and her status as his wife, L conceded defeat. "I shall have a few more minutes with the children, then return them to their studies." He slid his gaze back to the trio, who were fixated on him, eyes fearless and wide with curiosity. Even Near was watching him, his stare intense and surprisingly alert, as if L had become one of those jigsaw puzzles the boy delighted in solving.

"As you were," Roger said in dismissal before leaving the room colder in his retreat.

Oddly enough, it was Near who broke the staggering silence.

"I do believe L is in trouble."

Mellow scowled, "Shut up, albino. No one asked you to open your bloody gob."

"Dude, I think Near has a point. Roger never talks to L like that."

L resisted the urge to flick them all between the eyes, "My flight was quite long, boys. I shall take Roger's advice and retire to my rooms."

"No! Hold up a motherfucking minute. You better spill or you'll regret it."

"Mello, why are you threatening L of all people?"

"What kind of piss assassin is he if he's bringing people home _alive_?" Mello snarked. "He's gone soft, I bet. That's why Roger..."

The boy was cut off by L pressing the edge of one of his darts against the boy's throat. The trio were trained to fight, but none of them were prepared to deal with the lightning swiftness of a battle-tested assassin. The smallest flick of his wrist would gouge open Mello's throat and he doubted anyone would be able to react fast enough to rescue the teen before he bled out onto the floor. Sensing this, Mello stiffened, his eyes growing wild. He twitched, hands reaching for a gun no longer in his possession. He was helpless and at L's mercy.

"Remember, Mello, it is my job to silence those who speak out against me. To make those who do harm disappear. It would be best advised to tread softly around Light and myself if you ever wish to wear my mantel."

He pulled away and tucked the dart under his shirt.

Mello sucked in a ragged breath, then grinned.

"That was fucking awesome as shit. Teach me how to do that!"

Near and Matt both glanced away with matching expressions of defeat. For all his brains, Mello was an idiot at times. Even more clueless than that fool Matsuda or that airhead Misa-

Misa!

Of all the people to allow to slip from his mind, the missing Misa-Misa was not the best to forget about. As far as he knew, she still possessed her memories, which meant she knew his name and face. Her Death Note was locked away, but...Damn!

L tensed. For a brief time, he stupidly believed the Kira case was done and closed. But what could he do? Fly back to Japan to search? Send an agent to look for her?

 _There is a better option,_ whispered a small voice in his head. _You know her face, her name and you own two little black books that would solve all your troubles._

No. No! Never. He would never stoop that low and use that foul book.

 _If you don't, the shinigami might get bored again. Isn't it better if it doesn't decide that Light is more entertaining and steals that book away to give back to her?_

It would be best for everyone if he burned them.

Though, it was a good question to consider: Where was Ryuuk?

"Um, L? Hullo? L? Are you in there?"

"Hm?"

"Dude, you're looking kinda sick. Maybe you should go lay down or something."

L shoved away his wandering thoughts, "I...Yes, this last case has taken a toll on me. Rest would do me well."

The boys stepped aside and allowed him to pass. None of them knew about the storm swirling inside his head, ripping apart the carefully constructed foundation he had been laying out. Light was a big enough problem to deal with on her own; with a loose cannon like Misa in the mix, it was possible this would all end in disaster.

L leaned against a wall of a darkened hallway.

He needed to regain his focus. He needed to take control.

But how?

Who could he possibly trust in Japan to search for Misa and not turn against him-

He covered his face with his hand with a groan. He knew the perfect fool for the job.

If only he had never seen that beautiful face...

Pushing away from the wall, L dialed his cell phone and retreated into his room.

He had a phone call to make.

 **A/N: (Up next, plans backfire.)**


	8. Plans Backfire

**A/N:**

Made a doodle of Light in photoshop yesterday and decided to upload it as a cover. Discovered the use of a certain filter in my play. Heh. Anywho~

Shout out to FireWolfAbianvi, Kaioy, She Who Wears Red for reviewing

She Who Wears Red: Love your reviews. ^_^ And no, I don't swear very much nor do I hang around those people. Even my step father who cusses like a sailor compared to most people I know, doesn't swear AT people. Most of the cursing I know/hear/use is for comedic or emphasis purpose. Not quite sure how to make it sound properly, er, insulting I guess? If you'd like, you can be my swear corrector. Just shoot me a PM with some suggestions to clean up Mello's odd cursing. Heh. Or not. Also, I will be referencing various types of cards and suites through this story, including playing cards and tarot. As for the queen reference, I'll keep that in mind.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Eight:** Plans Backfire

Time had a way of slipping past unnoticed. Since arriving back at Whammy's House, L lost track of the days flying by as he desperately tried to circumvent disaster. Old habits crept back into focus. He would find Misa and neutralize the threat, even if it meant locking himself in his bedroom for countless hours on end, eyes fixated on his laptop screen, a phone perched at the crook of his shoulder. It did not help expediency that the only agent at his disposal was useless to the nth degree...Matsuda bumbled about through life, accidentally leaving chaos in his wake as well as haphazardly stumbling into greater truths.

If nothing else, he was loyal and purely intentioned.

But it was growing frustrating to make no progress in finding Misa Amane.

He was ready to throw his laptop in frustration. Could anything go his way again? Ever since the Kira case, things just fell apart in his hands as fate watched on, laughing at his misery.

"L? L, we need to talk."

The detective paused and blinked at the door. Roger was asking for him? Right. He wanted to speak with him after he rested...how long ago was that? A chill went down his spine as he thought to check the date at the corner of his screen. He counted backwards. Had he already lost that much time? Two weeks...

Had he really been subsisting on Mars bars and tap water for two weeks? No wonder he felt a little light headed. Watari wasn't there to ply him with more nourishment while he lost himself in his work. With the door locked, no one but he could enter the room. Did no one think to knock? Maybe he had not heard them? What a mess.

Closing the lid of his computer, L stood and shuffled to the door. He pulled it open slowly and peered through the gap.

"I'm rather busy."

"I thought you were here to rest."

"Things came up. Since I'd rather live another few years, I decided to resolve them."

Roger slammed an open palm against the door, forcing it to swing inwards. L stepped back and allow it to bounce open.

"Is there a reason for this intrusion?"  
"One would think that even you would pay some attention to your _guest._ "

"Ah. Light. Is she well?"

"I could have kicked her onto the streets days ago and you would have never known had I not come here today."

"But you haven't and wouldn't. Is there a point to this discussion? There truly are urgent matters in need of attending."

The last thing L expected was to be scruffed by the larger man. It was years since anyone grabbed him by the nape and hauled him like a disobedient child. L, too shocked to react, provided no resistance. Roger never laid a hand on him. No one dared to do something like this to him!

As he recovered from his surprise, Roger released him with a shove.

"You married the girl, which means you need to grow up, L."

He glanced up at the ornate door before them. It was the medical wing of the Whammy's House.

"I'm curious why Roger cares how I treat my wife," L said after a pause. "He does not like Light's presence here, likely believes these kinds of relationships are a distraction. Shouldn't Roger be thankful that I am not hovering at Light's bedside until his recovery?"

That earned him a cuff to the back of the head.

"Go."

L sighed and complied. As the saying goes: Time makes the heart grow fonder...He opened the door-

-and ducked.

My, my. Someone was making progress. L fought back a small smile as he met the blazing stare of his young wife. She was standing, a nurse nearby helping her through physical therapy exercises. The object chucked at his head was a stress ball. They were working on improving coordination in her hands and strengthening her grip. L picked the rubber ball up and gave it a small toss, catching it easily as he matched Light's gaze coolly.

Light looked ready for a fight, but she did not move from where she stood. Instead her face went blank and she turned bodily away from him. The immovable facade.

"I believe my shoulder is much recovered," she said politely to the onlooking nurse, who was looking a touch pale. "Do you think I will be able to play tennis again someday?"

"You are making remarkable progress, Madame," the nurse replied in a French-thickened accent. "But I encourage you not to strain your injuries. You are a long way from playing tennis."

L crossed the room once the pair stopped speaking. He sidled up to Light's side and took her bandaged hands into his own. The wrists were still bound tightly, but the fingers were given enough freedom to grip objects. It must have been painful to throw the ball at him.

Light ripped her hand from him.

"Don't touch me."

"A husband may touch his wife," L responded.

"I don't care what kind of paperwork you have, I'm not your wife."

"But, my dear, you are my wife. Forever and always."

"I hate you."

"Ah, but hate and love are precariously close to the same emotion."

"Why are you here?"

"Now Light asks. I am here because Roger demanded it. Light seems well enough."

"You forced me to England and married me, only to abandon me to these doctors."

L reached up and played with a lock of Light's hair. It was growing out again. Soon the strands would be the same professionally boyish length as when he first met the girl. She jerked away.

"Light missed my company. How sweet. Does this mean he enjoys my presence?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Now why should I do that when I have a lovely wife? I quite look forward to when Light is recovered enough to join me in my rooms again."

"Pervert!"

"Hn. Why must Light be so angry? I did save his ungrateful life on multiple occasions. He should be dead right now. Yet he speaks so cruelly to me."

Light shivered. Then did something unexpected. She smiled. It was a nasty, scheming little smile. "You think I'm cruel? You think I should be a thankful little _wife_? Perhaps you should rethink your plans for happily-ever-after given that you forsook your honorable ideals and false justice when you lied to the whole world and declared Kira dead. What exactly would people think of the all-wise L when they found out he not only did not kill Kira, but he _married her_. That he knew from the start who Kira was and instead of doing his job, he let thousands die so he could play act at love and fuck his prisoner."

L made to retort, but froze. The nurse was standing right there, and Roger. He peered at the doorway and felt all the blood in his face sink to his feet. Three little heads were clustered around the visibly outraged headmaster.

Silence blanketed the room.

It was broken by the quietest of voices.

"I suspected as much."

All eyes zeroed in on Near, who was passively regarding the scene as if it were just a casual conversation. He dug into the pocket of his pajamas and pulled out a handful of finger puppets. Each looked eerily like individuals involved in the Kira case. Near waggled his small digits.

"How disappointing it is to be correct."

With that, he turned and left.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (So the cat's out of the bag. Whoops. Read and review please!)**


	9. My Fair Lady

**A/N:** Uhg, allergy season is upon me. I can barely see straight with the amount I'm sneezing. Anywho.

Shout out to She Who Wears Red: You're lovely as always, ^_^

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Nine:** My Fair Lady

"What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This?"

Roger was the color of freshly-poured Merlot, a vein in his neck bulging. If he were a few inches closer, L was certain he would be trying to strangle him. What a mess. He shifted his gaze to the two boys still in the doorway, Mello and Matt. The latter seemed intrigued by a scuff mark on the floor and the former was drawing in short gasps of breath.

He heard Light chuckle softly. The Queen had made her move—when tactical defense failed, she switched strategy with effortless grace, and now he was suffering a full frontal assault. She held only one of the aces and was going for blackjack, stealing away L's confident lead with the utterance of a few words. Defeated, he sagged his shoulders and gripped the baggy fronts of his jeans.

"Light Yagami was one of three individuals whom held the power and title of Kira during my investigation," L confessed. What else was there to do? "He is the original mastermind behind the mass murders of criminals and political figures that started in the region formerly known as Japan. I caught him shortly after he began killing in order to learn how Kira killed. It wasn't until a day before I closed the case that I learned from the third Kira–now deceased–how they wrought so many deaths."

"And you brought her _here_?"

"Yes. And married her."

"Oh, but you're leaving out so many details, _Lawli,_ " Light crooned as she wrapped her arms around L's neck languidly. L's breath hitched as she ghosted her lips across the sensitive skin just below his ear. "What about all those long, romantic talks and declarations of love? Shouldn't Roger dear know about how you fell in love with your target? How you were willing to pin a scapegoat with the blame and let me walk free?"

She curled her fingers in a lock of his hair and pulled. As his head tilted back, he saw Mello run from the room, Matt getting pulled roughly behind him. As for Roger, he was no longer red. He was white.

Light laughed and gave L a shove, causing the detective to stumble.

"An eye for an eye, _love."_

He ruined her life, so she was trying to ruin his.

L stared up at the headmaster. Would he kick them out? Would he demand Light's execution? Would he strip L of his title?

"L." His voice was like permafrost.

"Yes, Roger?"

"How does Kira kill?"

"With a notebook. He writes an individual's name in it while picturing their face. It was dropped by a bored Death God of all things."

"Where is it?"

"In a secure location."

"Destroy it."

"Pardon?"

"I will not repeat myself."

"Sir, the reason I did not was because of the nature of the book. The Death Note is entwined with its master's psyche. When one gives it up willingly, it strips the individual of his memory of it, but I have no idea what destroying it will do. Light could suffer permanent-"

"-Are you questioning orders?"

"I...no, sir."

Roger stepped past L and came to stand in front of Light. He radiated dark command, like an emperor whose most trusted general just betrayed him. Light and he stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

"You should be dead."

Light smirked, "Yet here I am."

"I am without words to express my feelings in this matter, so I shall simply say this: Kira will die. L will do his duty and kill the menace who almost cause the third world war! But you, Light...you will be his punishment for failing to do his duty in the first place."

Slowly, the arrogance slid from her face.

"What?"

"Miss Rousseau, until otherwise told by me, Light is to be kept under Code Gold."

"Yes, Monsieur."

Light yelped as she was grabbed from behind and wrestled down onto the cot.

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" L cut in. She had done nothing since arriving here; there was no need to treat her like a high security prisoner. Light was harmless without the Death Note. Getting strapped down and drugged into a near coma would only hamper her recovery and would do nothing to help resolve the Kira case. "Roger. Roger!"

THWAP!

L fell back and cupped his mouth. The headmaster hit him. He hit him. Roger never struck anyone, not even Mello. He blinked widely at the man who helped raise him. Who he trusted despite everything he put him though.

"Destroy the weapon."

"Roger...I...I need some time."

"Three days. If Light still possesses her memories in three days, I will clean up the mess you made. Be thankful for my generosity in this matter."

"After?" L asked. "What then?"

"Then? Well, she will be a normal girl then. Whether you keep her around to play house like a dimwit, or dispose of her as would be appropriate, is no longer my concern. She is, after all, your _wife._ "

Swallowing back the protests building in his throat, L turned and fled the room, his mind racing. Should he destroy the Death Note's and risk shattering Light's delicate psyche beyond repair? Should he grab her and run away?

Fate seemed to enjoy his suffering, because at that moment, his phone rang.

L jerked the device against his ear, "Yes?"

Matsuda's voice cracked through the speaker, "I've got bad news, boss. You've got to get here fast."

"The situation?"

"Kira's on the radio...he knows your name! H-he's threatening to tell everyone. And there's been an uprising. It's looking bad here, boss. Real bad."

Damn that Misa. Damn her! Damn her to the ninth ring of hell!

"Boss?"

"I am preparing a flight as we speak. I shall be there posthaste."

If he destroyed the Death Note's, Misa would be neutralized as a threat, but Light would suffer. He could destroy one and hide the other somewhere else, sweep Light away where they would never be found. Gah! Why? Why was this happening to him?

L resisted the urge to throw the phone as he disconnected the call. He had to get to Japan, no question about it.

As he hurried through the hall towards his room, the detective could hear the distinct sound of children playing. They laughed and giggled, because for all they were geniuses, they were children first. But their playful song crept into his skull like a haunting promise.

 _London bridge is falling down, falling down._

 _London bridge is falling down, my fair lady._

 _Build it up with silver and gold,_

 _silver and gold, s_ _ilver and gold,_

 _Build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady._

 _Silver and gold will be stolen away, stolen away_

 _Silver and gold will be stolen away, my fair lady._

L slammed his bedroom door and raced for his laptop.

One thing he knew for certain, no one was stealing his Light away.

 **Tbc**

 **A/N: (Choices, choices. Which one will L make? Please review folks!)**


	10. Queen of Swords

**A/N:** Alright, this is a much needed change in perspective. Most of this story will be told through L's P.O.V, but so many questions keep being asked that I realized that what was obvious to me, as the writer, wasn't quite obvious to the reader. None of you know the why behind Light, because I've never shown her perspective in this story.

So~

Shoutout to UnsightlyDreams, MonatheGreat, Ubermarine and SheWhoWearsRed. Thank you for reviewing and hopefully this chapter can clear up any confusion.

UnsightlyDreams: Roger's reaction is explained in this chapter and through the next couple. He's not like Mr. Whammy, who treated L like a son.

Ubermarine: Ah, sarcasm suits you. As for Japan, in Fool's Gambit, it was revealed that Light managed to kill the anti-Kira mass destruction movement by the Oligarchy before she was interrupted.

SheWhoWearsRed: I think this chapter should clarify the irrationality. And feel free to make suggestions for Anime and literature. I'm a voracious consumer of fiction and have found myself rather picky about my movies.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Ten** : Queen of Swords

"Light..."

Groaning, the girl fought against the pull of lethargy and peeled open heavy lids. Tawny eyes gleamed in the half-dark, murky from the medicine that kept her beneath an oblivion sea. Curious. Who would wake her? Light tried to turn her head, but every motion was agonizingly slow, her limbs made of lead in an atmosphere of mercury. So tired.

"Light."

That voice. Light knew it.

"Near."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Curiosity."

"Hn."

"Light."

"...Yes?"

"Why?"

Why? Quite the question. They both knew the question Near wanted answered. He was like L in that way, in sync with the genius minds around him, always in constant observation. Light saw the boy rarely compared to the other two, Mello and Matt. He was shy, soft-spoken and serious. He did not think with his heart, but entirely with that keen mind of his. When he did pay Light a visit, it was always after hours when the Whammy's House was asleep, and only spooks and specters kept the night-walkers company. No one but them knew of these visits, of their brief exchanges of single words as Near hid in the dark, doing whatever it was he did during these meetings.

Light sighed, her lungs thick from sleep. It was hard to keep awake, even though Near roused her properly from her medicated slumber. Idly, she considered how cunning the boy had to be to evade the maximum security measures on the room. The nurse would probably wake up from some kind of unwilling nap in ten minutes or so.

"You are going to need to be more specific, Near."

A pause. Near was analyzing Light's move in their unspoken game.

"I cannot perceive how claiming to be Kira is a beneficial move. L suffers, yes, but this is a sword twice edged."

"Truly? You cannot see how I have everything to gain? Not even in your cards?"

"Tarot is far from a science."

"Yet you read them every night."

"Light is avoiding the subject."

"Of course I am."

"...The cards refuse to tell me a clear answer about you and L."

Light chuckled, "This frustrates you."

"Just tell me why you chose to reveal yourself as Kira!"

"Careful, you might show emotion if you continue like that."

"Mhn."

"Hn. It's quite obvious if you think about it. L will do anything to be in control, but while he is here in Whammy's House, it is quite obvious that he is not in a position of power, that belongs to Roger. Roger perceives L as a tool or a soldier and neither are supposed to question orders or have emotions or act independently. He also sees L as a child who cannot handle being in control thus needs controlling. Both are attempting to assert power in this house, and I simply shifted the balances in my favor. L is blinded by his foolish obsessions and is thinking with his heart; why else would I reveal myself as Kira but to hurt his precious feelings? Ha! The fool. All of them are fools."

"This is a plan?"

"Everything I do has a purpose."

"Indeed. You would be a poor Queen if you acted without rationality."

"Queen of Swords, you said, yes?"

"The people's champion."

"Ironic."

"Fitting, though trickery is your calling instead of your disdain."

"What else do you see in those cards?"

"Judgment. Justice. Five of Swords. Seven of Wands. You're quite the fighter."

"I have to be."

"If you know L as you believe, what will his next action be?"

"Persistent brat...You know just as well as I what L is doing right now." Light allowed her eyes to shut. She was regaining feeling in her hands; tiny pinpricks of pain nibbled at numb fingertips. "He's sitting in that room of his with the Death Notes, at war with his heart and mind about what to do. Should he burn them? Should he lie? Should he kill Misa?"

"Misa?"

"Second Kira."

"She is not dead?"

A sly, manic grin twisted onto her lips, "No. A little red-eyed bird whispers in my ear at night."

"Hm. Continue."

"Misa adores me. With the pro-Kira movement in Japan and the kill command pulled before the Oligarchy could start a war with the people, her first action would be to get revenge on L. She knows his name. Even without the Death Note she can ruin him."

"L possesses the tool to dispose of her..."

"Yes, but the poor dear finds the option morally wrong. Bah. Idiot. If he had any sense he would write down Misa's name, burn both the Death Notes and skip back to England like a good boy."

"I still fail to see how this benefits you."

"You're looking too closely at the surface level. By exposing myself as I did, Roger lost trust in L and needed to reassert himself over his disobedient soldier. I become a bargaining chip and am safe because of it. If L disobeys and does not burn the Death Notes, Roger will attempt to regain dominance by killing me, but L, being the fool that he is, will not allow it. He will interfere and ruin his life and reputation to be the shining knight in white armor. If he obeys, then I will lose all my memories and possibly my mind, but I will remain safe and L still suffers for his choices. If he uses the Death Note to kill Misa, he must question his inflated ego for once in his life and might find it impossible to burn the books, thus preserving my memories. If he doesn't, then remains Misa as a threat, which will provide ample distraction for him and will further dislodge him from his pedestal. The only thing I have to lose at this point is my sanity."

"That does not bother you?"

"There is freedom in madness."

"You still lose."

"What is one battle for the sake of the war?"

"This goes against your nature."

"It's part of my plan."

"If your plan is the choice between death and insanity, then I question your IQ."

"Hm."

Silence fell between them like an iron curtain. Near had used up all his words and Light was suddenly quite exhausted. One might wonder why the child who rarely spoke would stay up late to converse with Kira, but they both understood. Light was a puzzle and Near would never tell. The only person who knew her cunning plans and cutting thoughts would remain ever mum, analyzing the data he was given as was their mute agreement. Both could speak freely in the velvet night, and no one would be the wiser.

Come morning, Near would return to his chess pieces and jigsaw puzzles, and everyone would think of him as just a wandering ghost. As for Light, she would go back to waiting, her fate perched on a single, unpredictable factor. Everything else went as planned, but now, L had to make a choice.

"In every one of my readings, The Devil shows."

"Oh?"

"It seems the Queen is in bondage, her entrapment tainting her judgment. In a different world, one without war and Death Notes, I believe Light would be a just, truthful creature instead of deceitful."

"As they say, ignorance is bliss."

"Perhaps."

"Hm."

"Light."

"Near."

"Why tell me? What have you to gain?"

"You know the answer."

"I could tell everyone what you tell me."

"You won't."

"No?"

"No."

Without further word or well wishes, Near departed. Light could feel the drugs setting in, pulling her under into that deep, darkness.

She wondered briefly if it would hurt to lose her memories.

As she faded away, she could hear Ryuuk's wild laughter filling her ears.

 **Tbc**

 **A/N: (Hopefully this chapter was not too nail on the head. It made me terribly nervous to change perspectives and makes this reveal as I did. That, and I felt Light needed a confidant. The Whammy Boy's aren't the focus of this tale, but out of all of them, I could see Near engaging with the highly suspicious person L brought home and telling no one because it's none of their business.**

 **.**

 **PLEASE READ THIS FOR TAROT INFO!**

 **Yes, I do read tarot, and am aware that every card has different meanings depending on the deck and the person doing the reading. But the translations I'm offering are very general.**

 **Queen of Swords:** "The People's Champion". She is lawful, intuitive and thinks with logic above emotion. Fights for justice. Can seem cold or distant, but is kind and looks down upon deceit. She is against winning battles through trickery. Is often serious.

 **The Devil:** Major Arcana. Represents bondage, self-betrayal and entrapment, perhaps even spiritual stagnation. This is a person or a situation that is unhealthy due to this bondage of self and soul.

 **Judgement:** Major is a dual sided card that mainly represents making a choice. This choice can be good or bad. It warns of needing to make this choice and how if you've done bad, you know you've done poorly and that will come back and bite you. Doing good can lead to resolution. But remember, there is always choice.

 **Justice:** Major is a reinforcer of Judgement. Equality, impartiality, preparing for the consequences of a decision made. Cause and effect. In some decks, this card is replaced by Karma. As in, what you put into the universe comes back to you.

 **Five of Swords:** Fives always represent conflict, a struggle or a battle. The five of swords is very harsh, sometimes implying a battle lost due to deceit. A struggle that cannot be won. When paired with Justice, it reinforces this message of discord and deceit. It is associated with dishonorable actions, a lack of morality and sometimes even criminal activity.

 **Seven of Wands:** Quite simply, a struggle. A fight. This card has very aggressive implications. When paired with the five, it offers a suggestion of a greater struggle, where the individual feels pitted against something bigger than themselves and they are alone in the fight.

Depending on what kind of spreads Near is using, the meanings of these cards can change. Such as, when he explains the Queen being in bondage, it means when he lays down his cards for a reading, The Devil is in the same reading as the Queen of Swords. The Queen of Swords being what he feels is Light's Signifier card, or what represents her as a person (which Light claims is ironic since she does nothing but lie). For example, if Near is doing a Celtic Cross Spread and the Queen is the Querent, then The Devil could mean many things depending on where it is positioned. If it is in the Crowning Thoughts, it is something that is in Light's focus. If it is in the Environment, then it is a factor that cannot be changed. If it is in the Final Outcome, then measures need to be taken to change the current course of action to avoid this from occurring. Etcetera. I can talk all day about what exactly the whole of the readings meant, but these should be enough to understand exactly what Near is telling Light. **)**


	11. Collapse

**A/N:** Hullo. Between me and my beta having real life delays, this chapter is later than expected, but...here it is!

Shoutout to Ubermarine, SheWhoWearsRed and Day for reviewing!

SheWhoWearsRed: Well thank you. The whole exchange had me worried. I wasn't sure how it would be received. Heh.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part eleven:** Collapse

Screams cut the air, gouging apart the fragile seams of silence. Gunfire followed. Smoke stained the air black, clotting out the watercolor sky. This what he was trying to protect Light from when he stole her away from Japan. Damn that Misa. If she kept her mouth shut, the tension might have been resolved instead of broken. Now the fledgling government, desperately picking up the shatters of their society, was at war with the people. Fear saturated every heart and gleamed in every eye. The people never wanted to go back to the ways of the Oligarchy and Kira was their martyr, a faceless figure placed high on a pedestal as a false protector and god.

L ducked further into the shadows. This was his fault. If he did his job, then none of this would be happening. He held both Kiras in his possession at one point, the only thing stilling his hand a lack of evidence about their method of killing. Now he was wading through the ashen murk of revolution. No one lied in wait with a Death Note in hand, ready to force a change in the people's favor with a few swift swipes of a pen. This would be the collapse decades in the making.

He shuddered.

Perhaps that thought was partly untruthful.

Someone did possess a Death Note. There were two tucked away in his bag, untouched since their confiscation. It would be painfully easy to use those tools to his advantage. Misa would no longer be a problem, and if he used his database skillfully, this war could be managed in a matter of hours. He was an assassin by trade, what did a few deaths on his hands matter?

No. No! He could not let his thoughts trail in that direction. He was better than that. He would not fall in step with Kira. This power belonged to no mortal. It needed to be destroyed.

Footsteps caught his attention.

L shifted, artfully avoiding the pair running past him. He would have paid them no further heed, but the smaller of the two stumbled, nearly dragging their companion to the ground.

"Mama, I can't do this anymore," the smaller one said. It was a girl.

Her mother pulled the girl onto her feet, "We have to keep moving."

"I can't!"

"Yes you can."

"We're going to die."

"Sayu, please. You need to stand up."

"I want big brother!"

"He's gone. Crying won't change anything. Please, get up or we'll get caught."

"Why would he leave us?"

"Sayu!"

" _There they are!"_

The women turned pale faces towards the light filtering into the space in which they hid. Five men in black uniforms stood with their backs to the glow of streetlamps, their faces hidden. Two of the men held guns. L held his breath. It was not his place to interfere.

 _'Isn't Sayu the name of Light's sister? Is it possible this is her family?'_

He reached for a slick dart, fingers trembling just slightly. This wasn't his war. This wasn't his fight. This wasn't even his country. But the believer in justice that guided him through his life refused to allow him to walk away. What kind of man simply allowed two women to be killed in some back alley when he could stop it with a few flicks of the wrist?

"Leave us alone, we didn't do anything!"

"Everyone heard the announcement. We all know that the first Kira was Light Yagami. L killed the bastard, thank god, but we can't take any chances with one of you continuing his war of terror."

"Liars! My brother would never hurt anyone!"  
L sucked in a sharp breath.

What else did the people know?

He gripped a dart, ready to strike, when gunshots rang out. L tore his gaze from the men to look at the girls, to see which one was shot. Both remained standing, fearful and clinging to one another, but standing. Alive. Then who?

The five men were facing away from the women, one of them kneeling, cupping his chest. More bullets rang out, sending two men sprawling onto their backs.

"Leave them alone!"

" _Matsuda, you idiot."_

Abandoning his hiding place, L leapt into the fray, throwing three darts into the back of a man aiming his gun. He closed in as the only uninjured man spun around. He never saw L's assault coming as the assassin ripped open his jugular with the keen point of a blade.

"L?"

He wanted to smack Matsuda. Why was the moron even here?  
Silently, L finished what the young man started, stealing away the final breaths of these nameless souls. Such a waste. As he examined bloodied hands, L felt bile surge into his throat. He was getting sick of this trade. Taking away lives held less appeal after almost losing his and nearly losing that of his beloved.

A girlish scream pierced the post-battle quiet.

"Sayu. Shush."

Matsuda, the fool, dropped his gun and bolted into the shadows. L watched as the young man wrapped his arms around the youngest Yagami girl and held her to his chest. Mrs. Yagami watched on, her face grey from the stress.

"It's okay. He's one of the good guys," Matsuda said, stroking Sayu's hair. He looked up from where he knelt, a thankful smile on his face. "He...he was the one your brother was working for when Kira came."

"B-but the bad men said..."

"Don't listen to them," Matsuda commanded, acting a man instead of a fool while holding the young woman. "Light was a good man. He would never be Kira. And L would never let Kira work for him."

"That is enough," L interrupted. "If at all possible, please refer to me as Ryuuzaki. The walls have ears."

"O-oh, right."

"Miss and Mrs. Yagami, I have been looking for you." Well, it wasn't false. He did look for them before he fled to England.

"Why would you want anything to do with us?"

Choices. This world was full of choices. What would be best for the world. What was moral. What was just. What would make him happy. What would make someone else feel insurmountable joy.

"Light is...he is alive."

"WHAT?"

"Matsuda. Please. Be quiet."

"Alive? How?"

"That information is classified. I should not have mentioned his survival, but..." he left the words trailing. The bodies on the ground finished his thoughts well enough. "Matsuda. Why are you away from the rendezvous point?"

The young man flushed, "You were gone for a long time. I...I worried you were hurt, so I decided to investigate. Then I saw some men chasing after women, and I couldn't just stand by! B-But I'm glad I disobeyed orders. I'm sorry sir, but because I did, I've found my betrothed."

Betrothed?  
L's mind flickered back to the earliest moments of the Kira case. He recalled Matsuda holding up Light's profile, loudly questioning why the boy was part of the investigation. Friend of the family, he claimed, citing knowing Light and the fact that the boy's late father was the former chief of police. He knew he kept visiting the Yagami house after Light was taken into custody, even following L's orders to snoop and bring back information from the house.

How had such a small detail escaped his notice?

"Miss Yagami seems rather young."

"I-I-It's not what you think! It's just, we really like each other, I mean, we met during this case that Light helped out on and we really bonded. Uh, Light didn't approve, b-but he was kind enough to give me permission to court his sister, and marry her when she came of age."

"Ryuuzaki, you said your name was?" L flicked his eyes away from the crimson Matsuda onto Mrs. Yagami. "Would it be possible to see him again?"

"He's...he's unwell, Mrs. Yagami. Alive, but a shock to his system could do more harm than good right now." Everyone fell silent for a minute. "Come. All of you. It is not safe to remain here."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe. Tell me, am I the only one who has experience with planes?"

Three sets of eyes blinked up at him with horrified interest.

L sighed.

One more day until he had to be back in England, the Death Notes destroyed. He still had yet to deal with Misa, who would likely open her gob any hour now to spout his name to the world. Both Death Notes were intact. And now he had three lost sheep in his care.

There was only so much one man could do.

And without time to search for Misa and more than just his life on the line, L found himself shivering. He slipped one of the books from his bag. This one was...his? The one he claimed from Mikami...wait. He froze, eyes fixated on the black cover. If this one was his, and the other one Light's...that meant only their memories were bound to the Death Notes. Destroying them would not affect Misa!

"Rem..."

That Shinigami did something. Awoke Misa's memories with a different book than one of those that he held in his hands. Did that mean there was a third one out there? No. If Misa had one, he would be dead. L shook.

No time.

"Ryuuzaki? What's that?"

He swallowed.

" _Citizens of Japan, this...is Kira."_

No.

" _It is time to take back our country!"_

Damn that girl.

" _The first step is to destroy those who hold our chains."_

L felt a small chuckle slip into his throat, only to dissolve into a whine.

In his mind's eye he could see Light, dressed to the nines in the finest suit money could buy. On her head was that newspaper crown, and in one hand was a fountain pen. She smirked at him from her throne of playing cards. _They say the pen is mightier than the sword._ Light blew him a kiss. She held the winning hand.

" _Blackjack."_

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Matsuda, I need a pen."

-tbc-

 **A/N: (And we all fall down...Review please!)**


	12. Bittersweet

**A/N:** Just so everyone knows, I posted a DN/FF7 crossover last night called Bartender. It's a silly parody fic.

Shoutout to Day for reviewing and to ObviouslyADeathNoteFan for being a lovely beta.

As always, feedback is adored!

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Twelve:** Bittersweet

He was not sure what to think when he saw her for the first time since the violent close of the Kira case. Misa Amane, the second Kira, courtesan to the stars, looked ill. Blue eyes that once sparked with life were dull and reddened. Her pale skin was sallow. And her waterfall of golden curls were cut short, the ends frayed like dried wheat. L watched from his position in the shadows as the formerly glamorous woman staggered through the airport, legs trembling in her fashionable heels.

L recalled the doctor's prognosis. The injuries she sustained from the collapse of HQ were fatal. Her internal organs suffered terrible damage from the steel beam that pierced her abdominal cavity, and left Misa comatose for weeks. They said she was in for a long, slow death full of suffering as her body failed her. The lethal injection planned for her would have been a blessing.

Instead, Light turned everything on its head by putting power over her very life, and somehow, in the distraction, Misa escaped. L suspected Rem played a large role in that fiasco, otherwise, how else would little Miss Amane free herself from the highly fortified unit she was being held in while being supervised by no less than a dozen armed men? She should be dead right now. Both her and Light.

Yet here they were, alive and paying the price.

Light lived at the mercies of others, forced into helplessness.

Misa lived a half-life filled with pain as she tried to finish what her "beloved" Kira started.

The Death Note caused nothing but suffering.

L shivered.

For every action, there were consequences.

He was officially no better than Kira.

"Hey Ryuuzaki, isn't that...?" L grabbed Matsuda and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Go back to the girls."

With that, he shoved the interloper away, careful to keep his gaze on Misa. She was close to the checkpoint. A few more steps...

...she began coughing. Odd. This wasn't what he wrote down in the Death Note.

A few visitors warily moved to her aid. She let out a scream. What was going on? Misa wrapped her arms around her midsection and crumpled to her knees. Was that blood?

" _Somebody call for an ambulance!"_

" _Miss! Miss!"_

L stepped back, baffled by what he was witnessing. She was supposed to get on the plane. Cursing, he straightened and hurried to where Matsuda and the Yagami women were standing, eyes wide as they watched on. He grabbed the young enforcer by the scruff and led him towards the terminal.

"We need to go now."

"But Misa?"

"Is dying."

"Huh?"  
How? How? HOW?

Hyuk. Hyuk. Hyuk.

"Ryuuk..." the word left his lips in a ghost of a whisper.

"Such a shame."

L turned to see the shinigami floating nearby, greedily drinking in Misa's suffering.

"If there is one thing the Death Note cannot do, it is extend a human's life. Too bad. I kinda liked what you were planning. Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk."

His gaze slipped to where Misa was now surrounded. Organ failure. Too much physical activity and strain put on her internal organs was literally causing her insides to rip open. The scarring made them heavy with tissue build up. She was bleeding out. L grit his teeth. He never wished this suffering on her, not even after everything she did and threatened to do.

He wanted to give her a peaceful death. After getting Misa to England, he would extract needed information from her and grant the young girl's troubled life a gentle end. There would not be the crippling agony of a heart attack, nor the terrible violence of this kind of death.

Unable to continue watching, L shoved away from the scene and guided his flock with silent determination.

"Ryuuzaki?"

L realized that he was shaking. Unclenching his fists, he motioned at the waiting area.

"Go. Sit. I...I will be back shortly."

Sweat dribbled down his brow.

He tried to play god. He tried to meddle with death's unyielding hand. He failed.

L staggered into a bathroom and hunched over the sink.

It was hitting him now. The sickness. The revulsion. It was like a drug, the power of the Death Note. It addicted. He could hear it maliciously whispering in his head, begging him to surrender. One small taste wouldn't hurt. He could do so much. All he had to do was give in.

He could change the world!

Slowly, L pulled the two books from his bag and laid them on the counter, their matching black covers so innocent to look upon.

From a pocket, L pulled out a small plastic device. Utterly innocent to the eye. With a flick of his thumb, an intense blue flame leapt to life. Tendrils of dark power lashed at the edges of his brain, offering a perfect world upon a platter. Light's face came to mind. Her state of mind was heavily linked with the Death Note. If one were to strip her of her memories, it was possible her brain would be unable to cope with the shock. The mind came up with alternate scenarios to make sense of the world when the Death Note was gone.

How would Light make sense of trying to kill her lover? Of being shot by him? Of being kidnapped, drugged and essentially held captive? What about her father's death? Misa's death sentence?

As for himself...

...Without the Death Note, would he still have a reason to hold onto Light? To love her? Or would his rational brain brush aside his obsession-turned-lust and she would lose her importance to him?

He was stuck in a nightmare...

There was only one way to escape.

"I always knew she would be the death of me..."

L swept the flame across the books.

A heartbeat later, as the smoke curled high and sent alarms shrieking, L's world went white for the briefest of moments. Then...

"Ryuuzaki! What's going on?"

"Matsuda."

L glanced to the smoldering ashes of the...things he burned. Evidence? He burned evidence for the Kira case in order to protect Light. Roger sent him back to Japan to do just that. He was just doing his duty.

Suddenly, Matsuda grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the bathroom and around the corner.

"I don't know why you were burning stuff in there, but we have a flight to catch and you don't need to be arrested."

"Indeed. I apologize. Come, let's hurry. I'm sure you are all eager to be away from here."

"It's home. Despite everything, I never thought I'd see the day where I left it."

"Home."

Why did the thought of returning to England feel so bittersweet?

 **-tbc-**

 **A/N: (Oh these memories are such fragile things...a turning point? Thanks for reading. Like it, love it, hate it? Have a crazy theory? Review! Feedback is love.)**


	13. Shatter Me

**A/N:** This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I completely flaked out. Work has me rather engaged, and then a friend came over to hand out until almost midnight. So I forgot about updating until I was going to bed. Heh.

I'm curious by how little response there was to the rather dramatic past couple chapters. Hm. Anywho, the drama is going to lead into romance soon. After all, this was the ending for all the readers out there who wanted a little happiness for our troubled couple. However, before something can be mended, sometimes, it needs to be broken.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Thirteen:** Shatter Me

His arrival was free of fanfare.

A cab swept the Yagamis and Matsuda to a hotel in London, while J dropped him off at the Whammy House gates. Evening was upon them and for once, L felt the urge to surrender to sleep. The Kira case was done with, closed completely. All the suspects were either dead or in custody, and the last remnants of Kira's identity were in ashes. However, the victory felt shallow. Who was Kira? How did he kill? Was...was it Misa? No...Light? It could not possibly be Light. But he burned evidence at Roger's command as a requirement for keeping Light at Whammy's House.

Questions like that itched at L's brain ever since he boarded the plane back to England. What was he forgetting and why?

Pinching his brows, he entered the manor, hoping to slip into his room unnoticed. Fate had other plans and assaulted him with a rather red-faced Mello. L grunted as the blond shoved him against a wall. Strong little bugger.

"You blithering idiot!"

"Pardon?"

"Kira! You're fucking Kira!"

L blinked rapidly at the announcement. "Where did Mello come to that conclusion?" He could vaguely recall an argument with Light before he left in front of Roger that the boys walked in on. Oh, that's right. Light pointed out how she was a major suspect in the Kira case, and how they had relations while she was still under suspicion. Roger wanted him to...destroy the evidence linking Light to Kira? Why would he do that? Did that mean Light really was Kira? Why would he marry Kira, if that were true?

Then again, why did he marry Light?  
Revenge.

He was upset by his inability to convict Light as well as her horrible habit of getting tangled up dangerously in the case, so he signed the papers to give him legal control over her well-being and actions. That way he could transfer her from hospitals and have a legitimate reason to keep the stubborn brat close.

Light was not happy about it.

CRUNCH!

In his daze, L never saw the punch coming.

The teen broke his nose with one blow.

Instincts kicking in at last, he grabbed Mello and flipped their positions.

"What right does Mello have to hit a superior?"

"Pff. Superior? You'll be lucky if you have a fucking leg to stand on after Roger's done with you."

"I admit to being impulsive by taking a suspect as a spouse, but I doubt that is reason for dismissal."

"Are you fucking with me? Don't play stupid! The little bitch you call your wife is Kira!"

"Why does Mello keep saying that? He was a suspect, I never found any proof..."

"She confessed, you dipshit! Did someone knock in your skull in Japan?"

"That was him being petty."

"And what's with calling her a he? I know she looks like a dude, but damn."

"It's called being respectful."

L shoved away from Mello, his head ache reaching a throbbing intensity. He really needed a nap and a good strong cup of tea. Earl Grey? Hm. With plenty of sugar cubes. Maybe there was some in the kitchen.

"Don't walk away from me you bastard!"

He waved the teen away. He wasn't in the mood for this conversation.

Leaving behind the protesting boy, L shuffled through the halls towards the kitchen, but before he could reach his destination, a shadow fell over him.

"Good evening, Roger."

"Did you destroy the Death Note?"

"Death...Note?" L frowned. Was that what the black books were called? Strange thing to name a log. Maybe he called them that because he was using them to account for Kira's murders. Then again, why was he writing things down? He hated paperwork. He did everything on the computer. L rubbed his eyes. Why was he feeling so disoriented? The past few months were hazy instead of crystalline clear. As if someone ripped out a giant piece in the middle of a jigsaw puzzle. What was he missing? "Yes. I burned them."

"Them?"

"There were two...Roger, can the debriefing wait?"

A hand closed on his shoulder, "Of course not. L, what is wrong with you? Why is your nose bleeding?"

"I..." L frowned up at his superior. Everything felt strange. The world tilted.

"L!"

When was the last time he ate? Or slept? Hm. Maybe that's why his head felt so funny. He shut his eyes, willing the ache to go away, but he was so tired. Sleep. Sleep was good. Yes...

.

Laughter. Chocolate and laughter.

L shifted, eyes fluttering open. There was something against his face. A newspaper? He frowned and removed it, sitting up. He was on a couch. Had he fallen asleep in his hotel room? No. It looked to homey to be one of the lavish resorts he stayed at when on a case.

The laughter sounded again.

Suddenly two small children ran by, a boy and a girl. They chased each other past the low coffee table where an oddly elaborate tower of cards stood. As expected, the wind caused by their running toppled the tower and sent cards scattering everywhere. They froze, eyes large with fright.

"We're sorry!" cried the girl.

"Mhmm," the boy hid behind his sister.

"It's fine."

"Mama doesn't like it when we knock down her houses."

L sighed and picked up two of the cards. It took a minute, but he reconstructed the base of the fallen tower. "It can be repaired. No harm done." He reached down and scooped up a handful of cards from the floor. Strange. These were all face cards.

"You're awake."

He turned from the odd scene to see Light standing nearby, dressed in a business formal suit. Her hair was cut in a masculine style and not a hint of make-up softened her features. In fact, she even spoke in the low tone she used when she was acting as a male.

"Going somewhere?" Light held a suitcase in one hand.

"Work."

"It's a Sunday." Why did he say that?

"The Kira case never takes vacations."

"I don't like this."

"Who said you had a voice in my choice in the matter? I'm going to catch Kira and bring him to justice if it's the last thing I do."

"Justice.."

Kira.

Light strode through the room and left the house, the force of her closing the front door knocking down the meager attempt at salvaging the tower.

"Why can't mama stay home?"

"She's trying to make this world a safer place for everyone."

.

L jackknifed up, his heart beating harshly against his ribs. It was dark. Very dark. And smelled of bleach. Hospital wing. Roger must have brought him here. Whatever caused him to faint must have been rather serious. He tried to move his arm, but found it tangled up in wires. An IV drip?

"You're awake?"

Light?

He turned in the direction of the voice. A cot was positioned next to him, the faint gleam of metal in the moonlight giving him the vaguest of impressions. So they put him next to his wife. How nice of them. With his luck, she would still be out for his blood about the whole marrying her without her consent and attack him...

"Yes."

"Ah."

"Why is Light awake?"

"Hard to sleep when you've been doing just that for three days."

"Code Gold was too harsh."

"Perhaps. I did claim to be Kira."

"Why did Light do something so foolish?"

A pause.

He wasn't sure why something inside him felt like it shattered when she replied.

"I wanted you to die."

"Light..."

"I hated you."

"It's fine. Light was angry."

"You ruined my life!"

Yes, he did. She was suffering a hospital because of him.

"You kidnapped me, accused me of murder and then shot me on two separate occasions."

"...I did."

Her voice was eerily calm, "But here we are."

"Light said he 'hated me'. Past tense?"

"When you were sleeping, I realized that hating you wasn't worth the effort. I feel nothing. If you were to jump off a bridge, I would neither mourn or rejoice."

L shivered, an echo of a memory slipping through him.

"Even so, I still love you."

Love. What a fickle emotion. She brought so many terrible highs and lows to his life. He wanted her to never feel suffering, to smile again and want to be with him. At one time, they were friends, but this...L fell back against the cot.

"I wish you wouldn't say that."

 _I wish I could stop._

Wordlessly, the world famous detective and infamous assassin, shut his eyes.

Sleep evaded him for the rest of the night.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (When you've lost everything, there is only things to gain. Thank you for reading, please review! It's important for me to have feedback so I know when something's going right or not.**

 **READ THIS FOR TAROT INFORMATION**

I know I did not include any cards, but symbolically, the card tower in the dream sequence represents the Major Arcana in the tarot called The Tower. It represents a major, eye-opening change. The disillusionment of fantasy. The shattering of falsehoods. Often portrayed as a tower being struck by lightning (sometimes topped with a crown), I felt this symbol matched the rather powerful change that is happening.


	14. The Wheel Turns

**A/N:** I have a newish poll on my profile. And, on a personal note, not only is my internship going swimmingly, but I've gotten some freelance work from the head of marketing. She works closely with my department and needed someone to code a mini-website. Couldn't really say no to 15 bucks an hours and a possible new connection networking wise. I'd love to earn a reference from her. Woot. This has been a good (but very busy) week.

Shout out to Day and Kathryn for reviewing.

Kathryn: Glad to have you reading and I'm rather fond of tarot symbolism, so you'll see it throughout this tale.

 **CHAPTER WARNING! Possible triggers ahead (mild and brief, but existent dub-con themes). As with Fool's Gambit, there is nothing explicit, but don't read at work unless you really want uncomfortable questions.**

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part Fourteen:** The Wheel Turns

Time passed and the season changed, as was the want of the ever turning Wheel of Fortune. L tried his best to puzzle in the missing pieces, but he could not quite recall certain moments in the past year. It was as if the Kira case was trapped behind a blurred lens, perpetually out of focus. As for Light, she was healing, but more distant than ever. She reminded him of when they first met under the cherry blossom trees, nameless to each other, the world rotting before their eyes. Her gaze and demeanor were aloof, their conversations brief and idle. Even when L intentionally tried to provoke her ire, Light simply fell silent, content to ignore his presence.

Outside of the hospital wing, however, tension was rising.

L hardly wandered off from his rooms, no case sparking his interest. He paid little heed to his heirs, no matter how hard Mello attempted to get his attention by being a rebellious, bad-mouthed punk. And Roger was barely speaking to him. L, the once idolized pride of the institution, remained in the cool limbo of distrust. He disobeyed orders, acted in a manner unbefitting of his station and was of no further help in the strange affair of the supposedly closed Kira case.

On top of all this, the former Oligarchy was officially in the midst of war. People were not allowed in or out of the countries involved, and the UN was at wit's end. Should someone interfere before those countries destroyed themselves with civil war? Should they allow the fights to fetter out on their own? France and England for once agreed on something and voted to wait until it effected their countries. It was the United States that needed watching.

L sighed as these thoughts flitted through his brain. Closing his laptop, the detective wondered if he could have stopped this war from happening. Or was Kira just the catalyst to a needed change?

So many questions...

Standing, he made for the door. It was late, but at least when Light was sleeping, he could sit with her in peace. Perhaps soon he would call the Yagami women and Matsuda. With the documentation he prepared for them and the resources he sent their way, the trio were living in a small flat in London, slowing figuring out their new lives. They constantly asked about Light. L still failed to mention them to the girl in question. He was not quite sure why he held his tongue. Selfishness?

He opened he door to the hospital wing silently and was greeted by the most surprising sight.

Caught in the faint glow cast from the opened door sat Near. He was sitting by Light's bed, tarot cards in hand, shuffling as Light laughed. When was the last time he heard her laugh in joy?

"What is going on here?"

Near's hands stilled as he turned his head slightly to the side. L heard Light shift in the cot.

"Visiting," the boy muttered.

"Why?"

"It is what people do when their friends are in the hospital, is it not?"

"Friends?"

"Just leave, L." Light's voice cut through him like a heated knife. "It's not like you want to be here, anyway."

Unconsciously, L's hands tightened into balled fists. It was foolish, to be jealous of a child, but the ugly emotion reared its head and sank poisoned fangs deep. He stalked to the chair where Near sat and grabbed the boy, forcing him to his feet.

"Near has no business being here. He should stay away from..."

"Criminals?"

"Light...is not a criminal."

"She admitted as much."

"Leave him alone."

"What happened to you when you went back to Japan?" Near's tone suggested worry of all things. When did the child gain any concept of emotion?

"I followed orders, which Near should do now."

"No."

"No?"

Near wrenched his arm free and stared L down with eyes that had seen too much for his short years. Like Mello, he had experience with violence and the trauma made the already strange boy even more withdrawn. It aged him. Graced the genius with a steadiness unseen in those beneath their sixth decade.

"I love her."

"Repeat that please."

"Light is my friend. I love her. And you do nothing but hurt her."

"You understand nothing!"

L hurried back into the hospital wind and shut the door, locking it behind him and flicking on the lights. His wife rubbed her eyes as she struggled to adjust to the sudden change in brightness.

"We're leaving in the morning."

"What?"

"Light is much recovered now. We can continue her physical therapy elsewhere."

"I don't want to leave."

"I never said there was a choice."

"No! I'm not letting you drag me to another part of the fucking globe because you're jealous of a little kid."

"I'm not-"

"-Yes you are! You have no right to lord over me like this and I'm getting sick of your treatment of me. So what if I'm your wife? You certainly don't act like a husband. We can easily live apart. I'm sure once I'm done with therapy, I can find my own way."

L stalked over to Light did something he never thought he'd do. He crawled onto the narrow cot and straddled Light, hands pinning her arms at the elbow.

"Even if Roger is displeased with me, he loathes Light. The second I declared that I was leaving and that Light refused to come with me, she would be thrown onto the streets, recovered or not. Light does not know how the real world works. She is childish and foolish and needs someone to take care of her. Why can't Light realize this?"

"I can take care of myself fine!"

As her nails dug into his upper arms, L felt a surge of something familiar. The glow in her eyes, ferocious and demanding; the fall of her hair, tousled from sleep; the twist of her body as she struggled beneath him. He felt this many times before he discovered Light's gender. The hot desire to either kiss or kill the person at his mercy.

Such a pretty wife he had.

"Oh? As I recall, Light cannot protect herself at all."

"Let me go and I'll show you—ngh! What are y-Ahhh."

L smirked as he reveled in Light's surprise. The sheets that covered her legs were on the floor now, her thin hospital gown shucked up nearly to those lean hips. She took advantage of his hand's new distraction and swung at him, but her blows were easily swatted away.

"Beautiful."

"Pervert! Don't you dare- mmmhm."

"What was that? I swore Light was going to say something."

"Why do you always do this?"

"Because Light likes it when I touch her like this. She would tell me otherwise. Aren't I an attentive husband?"

"Move your hand away from tha-ah!"

"Like this?"

If nothing else, after all his various escapades with Light during the Kira case made him rather familiar with what made Light stop talking. Their time as lovers was staggeringly brief, but he was nothing if not a fast learner. Second times were always better than firsts.

He swept his teasing hand away from the junction of Light's thighs to rest on her stomach. She was flushed and furious, hands gripping him painfully. L could hardly help himself.

Like lightning, he stole a kiss. Sealing their mouths together searingly.

This felt nice.

Well, it did until she bit his lip.

L pulled back and frowned at his young wife.

"Off. Now."

"Light."

He might have reached for her again, but those wild eyes were glittering with animalistic fear. Did she think he would...? He never...

"Off."

This time, he complied, silent as Light righted herself and gathered the sheets back over her shivering body.

"Leave."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to look at you."

"Why is Light afraid of me?"

She sucked in a sharp breath, "What reason have you given me to trust you? All you've done since we've known each other is use, manipulate and betray me. To think, I fell for that stupid line about love and slept with you. I didn't love you. I didn't even want you. I just did it because..."

"Regardless, we are leaving in the morning."

"No!"

L left the room, his breathing ragged. Why had he done that? Stupid. Stupid! He was a fool!

"The Queen of Swords is still in The Devil's sway."

Near stood by the door, cards scattered on the floor.

"But The Lovers, The Tower and the Six of Swords speak of change. Motion."

"Gibberish."

"Hm. You should speak with Light more often, she is lonely. This move you have planned...how will it resolve anything?"

"You were eavesdropping."

"No. The cards told me," he motioned between the Six and The Tower. "It is how I know how much you are breaking her heart. She certainly does not speak of emotional things with me."

"Why are you here, Near?"

He blinked widely at L, "To say goodbye. Mello will be quite displeased. Though, distance may heal the rift between yourself and Roger." Near gathered his cards and slipped them back into a deck.

L watched silently as the young boy walked away.

-tbc-

 **A/N: (L is falling back into old habits. Light is recovering. And the world keeps spinning. Reviews are love!**

 **READ FOR TAROT INFORMATION**

This chapter is inspired by the major arcana card Wheel of Fortune, sometimes called the Wheel of the Year or the Wheel of Luck. It represents the change of seasons, the passage of time, the inevitable end of one era and the start of another. For every winter there is a spring, but for every spring there is a winter. Generally considered a good or positive card unless modified by those around it or is reversed in a reading, the Wheel of Fortune usually denotes a change for the better. Good luck, fortune and times are ahead. But change is inevitable.

 **The Lovers:** Major Arcana. Romantic/sexual attraction/love and all that it entails. Usually positive and suggests a future relationship, or a strengthening of a current one.

 **The Six of Swords:** Moving from stormy waters into clearer ones. Motion. Movement. Change. A need to move on from a situation or a conflict or a place. A gloomy card that suggests hope if one is willing to make the motions to change the situation.

In Near's reading, the Lovers, the Tower and the Six of Swords are all connected. A change is coming; a relationship tainted by miscommunication and loneliness; a time of movement; a physical move of location; the disillusionment with the situation at the moment.


	15. Learning to Breathe Again

**A/N:** This chappie took a little while. But here it is!

Shout out to Kathryn, Day and UnsightlyDreams.

Day: This is the tale for the hopeless romantics who read Fool's Gambit and wanted a 'happy' ending. So keep a little hope, yes.

UnsightlyDreams: Unfortunately, these two have a lot of fucked up between them. Progress will be slow. But I healing is soon. As for the dream sequence, it was mostly for symbolism purposes with the tower and its fall. The children's fearful reaction is related to the dramatic change or disillusionment to follow. And Light's 'work' is more or less a subconscious portrayal of Light as an 'innocent' who is powerfully obsessed with stopping Kira. Anywho, I'm glad you're enjoying my play with symbols. Tarot can be interesting.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part fourteen:** Learning to Breathe Again

She hated him.

Even if she claimed nothingness, that her heart would no longer be wrenched apart by his actions, L knew deep down, that the affection in her heart was replaced by that dark emotion. It tainted the fragile bond between them. It drove them both insane. What had become of them? Of L, the greatest three minds in the world, unfazed and untouchable. Of Light, the teen prodigy almost turned god, who sought to change the world with cool, calculated brilliance. They were shadows of their former selves, haunting each other like stubborn ghosts, unable to rip apart the scars that bound them and seek freedom.

L reached for the blinds and pulled them open, flooding the small parlor with the fading glow of dusk. He had done as he threatened and moved Light away from Whammy's House. Roger said naught on the matter. After all, L was the one who made the money which continued to fund the orphanage as well as L's other endeavors. If by moving into a cottage in the London countryside made the eccentric assassin stable enough to do his duty, then it was for the best. Kira would be kept far away from the children.

Sighing, he turned and drank in the dusty scene. In his haste, he impulsively made these arrangements without considering the finer details, like hiring a cleaning service to polish up this old house before he hid himself and his wife away here. At least L thought enough ahead to stock the cupboards and the linen closet. In the morning, J would arrive with the discreet vehicle L purchased in order to make errands back into the city.

Unless another crisis like Kira popped up, there was little reason for him to leave his hiding place. L moved from bolt hole to bolt hole in order to evade enemies, traveling the world with Watari at his side. But now, he felt the creeping urge to leave the running behind and simply close this chapter in his life. L was tired. Very tired.

It was foolish to settle like this, to put down even shallow roots and play house with his unwilling companion, but ever since those early days, when Light was an innocent who he dragged into the thick of danger without heed to common sense, he wanted this. Normality. Humanity. Light brought into cold life so much warmth. He was the night and she the day. He wanted her desperately in his life, but smothered her brightness in shadows with his selfishness.

Could they ever return to good?

In the wake of drowning, could they learn to breathe again?

L shuffled into the sitting room and passed an open palm over a faded settee. The woodwork was solid, but the cushions could use replacing. If nothing else, he and Light shared a love of beautiful things. Every extraordinary indulgence he made was often in pursuit of aesthetic pleasure. Living surrounded by concrete walls and unfeeling technology numbed the senses, made him sharp and clear-headed, but he did so enjoy the finer things in life. Like renaissance paintings of fruit.

"I should collect some wood." Winters were harsher here than in Japan. Fireplaces served a rather important purpose should the power be cut by unpleasant weather. And they had such a lovely little fireplace now.

He wandered over to the open brick fixture and swiped some dust from the decorative mantel. This was where normal families placed knick-knacks, photos and other sentimental odds and ends.

The creak of aged wood beneath soft footsteps drew L's attention.

Light had emerged from her bedroom and was now investigating the kitchen. He should have thought about that. Normal people needed to eat rather consistently. Curious, L watched as she opened various drawers and cabinets, clearly frustrated successive with every door she shut. Why was she so flustered by something as simple as finding a snack? He stocked plenty of healthier options for the picky teen amongst his sweets. If Light opened the refrigerator, she would discover fruits and deli meats, which were often her preferred foods when more traditional options were not available.

He frowned as he observed her slightly hunched form and pale face. Light never walked with anything but perfect posture except...oh. Oh! Well, that would make things a bit awkward rather soon. He forgot completely about the finer details of Light's female physiology.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Light on her quest, L opened a cabinet above the stove. Amongst the bags of sugar and the boxes of tea, sat a row of BBQ flavored potato chips. They were not the same brand that Light ate back in her home country, but when he was taking inventory, he made certain to stock a few different kinds. He reached up and grabbed the closest one and shut the door.

He turned to find Light standing behind him, a blank expression on her face.

L stared back then held the bag out.

A peace offering.

She took it with two fingers, as if reluctant to touch something he had his hands on, then walked away.

"I love you..." he whispered when she disappeared from sight. "I don't know why, anymore, but I love you." As expected, no response came. Even the sun slipped out of sight, leaving him in darkness yet again.

.

The next day found L back in London, a rather strained looking Light sitting quietly in the passenger seat, one hand propped against her cheek. An outsider would never be able to guess that just a few months ago, she was battling death, her body broken and bloodied in the arms of her lover. The casual position hid the limited movement she possessed in her shoulder and hands. Therapy made it so that she could pick up objects again with minimal pain, and even dress herself with enough time and a little effort. Writing might be a distant prospect however, because L caught her with a pen and paper that morning, struggling to shape the delicate kanji of her native language, her whole body trembling from the pain.

"Light does not need to dress like a male anymore," he said when she emerged from the bathroom, clad in slacks and a long-sleeved sweater, her breasts clearly bound tight beneath the wool. Light didn't deign to respond. It was clearly a strain on her tolerance to concede with his request that she come with him into town. Perhaps she thought that she could escape in a moment of absence. London was a big city, easy to get lost in.

But he was not planning on letting her escape from sight.

Pulling the car into a parking spot, L stepped onto the street and rounded the front to assist Light. She acted before he could reach her, popping the lock and slipping onto the sidewalk. As she slammed the door shut, Light took in the scene. They were in a modest part of town, the buildings reaching at least two or three stories.

"An apartment complex?" she murmured, mind clearly awhirl for reasons why they would be in such a place.

"Come along," L bid. "I could not take Light here while we were at the Whammy House."

"Where is here?"

"Something that should make Light happy."

"When did you start caring about my happiness?"  
"...I do not wish another fight at the moment."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Light."

"I thought the great L liked fighting. It's why he kept acting like a massive pervert when he kidnapped me."

"True."

"That's it?"  
L grabbed Light's elbow and gave it a tug. Arguing in the misty London morning was not exactly how he planned this day to begin. Light did not struggle, but her silence told him exactly how she felt about the situation. They weren't lovers. They weren't friends. They could not even talk without the situation falling apart. Too many mistakes were made; too much innocence was lost.

Yet here they were, both trying desperately to repair what they lost in the storm while the ground beneath them still trembled. It was a hopeless, pointless, toxic situation, one that bred unhappiness and disdain. But the chains of L's obsession bound them; Light the victim of his fall from grace. If only Kira never rose to power. Then he never would have gone to Japan, they would have never met, and...

...and what?

He would be sitting in a concrete room surrounded by computers, Watari serving him tea. He would solve countless cases, taking on those that interested him with bored nonchalance. He had nothing. He was a shell of a man living a weapon's life, sheathed until needed for battle, his mind kept razor sharp on the pointless grindstone of his fated duty to justice.

L sucked in a shallow breath, recalling the conversation that changed the feelings between he and Light, the world collapsing around them as they feared for the end.

" _Pretend with me," he said. "I'm not L and you're not Kira. We were simply two people who met under the cherry blossom trees by Light's school."_

 _Light understood. "I was on my way to exams. And you were just sitting there, strange as could be."_

" _Light was beautiful. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him."_

" _I guess I could say I couldn't keep my eyes from you either."_

" _We spoke, though briefly."_

" _Then we parted ways. But fate has a way of crossing paths."_

" _We met again by the fountain. I asked Light's name...asked him to dinner."_

" _I...I said no. But you were quite persistent. You did everything you could to impress me."_

" _I was wealthy and intelligent, though I never thought Light could be as vain as to dismiss me on my looks alone."_

 _Light chuckled softly, "I eventually said yes."_

" _The first date was awkward."_

" _Yes. Yes it was. I'm not sure why I said yes to a second."_

" _Or a third?"_

" _You were a touchy-feely pervert."_

" _And Light was so shy."_

" _How did we fall in love?"_

" _I'm not sure. It happened...quietly. We never noticed until that kiss in the rain."_

" _The rain? How cliché."_

" _I was on the roof, listening to the church bells. Wondering...was it a wedding or a funeral."_

" _You were getting soaked standing out there."_

" _Yes. But Light joined me."_

" _So that's love? Standing on the roof, kissing in the rain."_

" _I think so."_

" _You think too much."_

" _So does Light."_

" _Curse of being geniuses."_

L laid a hand on the banister leading up a staircase. Those people seemed like strangers now. They were on the cusp of finding safety and adoration in each other's arms. And now, all they did was try to hurt each other. Light did not trust him...and L wasn't sure if he trusted himself. They would never be the same, but-

He reached the top step and knocked on the door.

-maybe they could find common ground again.

"One minute!" called a soft voice from inside.

Light jerked her arm away from L's grip, clearly ready to give him a railing for his tugging her around. Then, the door swung open.

Tawny eyes widened.

"S-Sayu?"

"Light?"

Suddenly, the young teen let out a shrill scream of joy and flung herself at her 'big brother'. Light wrapped her arms tightly around the girl, willing to ignore the agony if only to prove that what she was seeing was real. She stroked Sayu's hair, her shoulders and face, an expression of pure wonder on her features. This was exactly why Light could never have been Kira. Kira was the kind of person utterly willing to sacrifice everything to get his way, even his family. But from the start, Light made it clear the her mother and sister were the core of her world.

"Brother, it really is you. I never thought...I thought you were dead. And then they started saying all those horrible things about you."

"Shh. It's okay. Everything is okay. I'm here now."

"Sayu, what is going..." A plate smashed to the floor. "...on."

The siblings turned to see Sachiko Yagami standing just beyond the doorway, her face white as a sheet. Light slowly released Sayu to approach her mother. She was not a demonstrative person, her affection more found in her actions than in her embraces, but the prodigal son had returned after parting the seas and having them crash down upon him, nearly drowning him to death. Thus Light abandoned the distant, serious facade that made her the perfect son, and threw herself like a child at her mother. Neither wept, but the smaller woman reached up and cradled her lost daughter to the crook of her neck.

When they finally separated, Light reached out for Sayu and swept her hands through her hair absently.

"How?"

"Your friend here found us and brought us here."

"Friend?" Light frowned back at L.

"He said you were terribly unwell, that you were injured in service to him during the Kira case."

"That is true."

"Does this mean you will be staying with us, brother? There's not much space, but you can stay with Matsuda in his room."

"Matsuda is here? He lives here?"

"Yup. He saved our lives and helped L too. He's at work right now, but he'll be so happy to see you again."

"I...I don't know..."

"Despite how it may seem, Light is not fully recovered from his injuries."

"Huh? Is that true, brother?"

The sadness in Light's eyes was palatable, "I...I just left the hospital I was staying in. I will need at least six more months of physical therapy before I can say I'm completely healed. Even at that, there may be things I cannot do."

"For the sake of Light's future well-being, I am ensuring Light has the best care possible. In fact, once he regains full capabilities again, I will likely ask for him to return to my service."

Mrs. Yagami's gaze was piercing, "Hasn't my son done enough?"

"I...I have lost many good people in the last year. One of which was like a father to me, a Mister Quillish Whammy whom the world knew better as Watari...L's envoy. It is my wish for Light to assume this position in the future, for I trust no one more than him." Light shook his head subtly in disbelief. "He is my friend. Or, was my friend. These past few months have put a strain on our relationship and things have been done and said that were shamefully regrettable. But I have every hope that Light will put his considerable intellect and charisma to good use in the future and assist me in making this world a better place."

"Sounds too good to be true..."

"It is," Light deadpanned. "L, thank you for the kindness you have shown my family, but I don't think it will be possible for me to continue working for you."

"Understood, but we will discuss that issue when we come to it. Now, I believe we should depart."

"Already? No. I'm staying here."

"Light, you will see them again. I will not keep you from your family any longer, but we have things to take care of in town and your family has work to do."

"Oh my gosh! You reminded me. I'm going to be late. Bye, big brother! Visit soon or you'll regret it." Sayu dashed into the flat long enough to grab a bag and shoes before running off. There was laughter in her voice as she sang her way down the street.

Light watched her run off with disappointment.

"Thank you for your time and patience, Mrs. Yagami."

"One moment...L...Ryuuzaki, I mean. Would it be possible for me to have an hour with my son? Just an hour."

"There is much to do."

"L..."

"No, Light."

Anger passed over her face, then it dissolved into determination. This was something she wanted. And Light did odd things when she desired something enough. Reaching out, she grabbed him by the back of his head, fingers in his hair. Light jerked him forwards and placed a whisper of a kiss on his lips, their breath intermingling just briefly. Then she shoved him away.

Absorbing the fire in her eyes, L bowed out gracefully.

"One hour. I will return then."

He caught Mrs. Yagami's eye as he turned to descend the stairs, and found disapproval, but no surprise. Light was a genius after all. Maybe there was more to her mother than he suspected. Reaching the last step, he glanced up at the now closed door, his heart pounding.

This was not a fairy tale. There would never be a happily every after. The pumpkin carriage had long since rotted away. But maybe, just...maybe, they could learn to breathe again.

tbc

 **A/N: (See, I was going somewhere with all that drama. The situation had to get worse before getting at all better. Anywho~Thank you for reading. Please review! Feedback is love and how I know when things are and are not working.)**


	16. Not Quite Cinderella

**A/N:** Been a long week. Work caught up with me. Very tired...

Shout out to shewhowearsred, Day, Kathryn and NekoKitten.

NekoKitten: Of course I'm still updating. It's only been a week. Most fanfic writers don't update more frequently than that. Heh.

 **House of Cards**

 **By Catsitta**

 **Part fifteen:** Not Quite Cinderella

The sight that greeted L when he returned and hour later was not what he expected in a million years. He stared. No. He gaped. In all its inglorious, goldfish likeness, L dropped his jaw and his eyes widened into saucers. It took a minute for him to regain his senses and blink.

"You're going to catch flies," Light groused, displeasure pinching between freshly plucked brows. The detective rolled his gaze to the sky above and swallowed. What exactly had Mrs. Yagami been thinking doing to Light? "I thought you were in a hurry."

Snapping back into attention, he peeked back at the girl—woman—standing cross-armed in the doorway, poised but indelicate . Clad in what was presumably one of her mother's dresses, L saw for the first time what Light might have looked like had she been able to live her life openly as a female. The garment was made of structured fabric, was demure and a rather unflattering shade of navy that fell a few inches below the knee. A belt nipped the dress at the loose waist but cap sleeves strained at wider than average shoulders. Her hair was pulled back with gel and a comb, revealing a powdered and painted face. Pallid skin was dusted to an ethereal ivory and a hint of color teased her cheeks and lips.

"Light looks..."

There were so many words one should use in a moment like this.

"...strange."

That was not one of them.

Her lips tightened, an angry flush rising beneath that layer of make-up.

"How charming you are, Ryuuzaki." He flicked his gaze to Mrs. Yagami, who had walked up behind her foreign-looking daughter. "I see it was your eloquence that swayed my daughter's heart into matrimony." Ah, there were barbs in those words and poison in that smile. For some unfathomable reason, she dressed up her daughter to look more a 'wife' despite Light's obvious preference to remain acting the son.

Something clicked.

They were being punished.

Why exactly had Light gone and confessed the nature of their relationship? Didn't she foresee this kind of reaction? True, the hasty kiss hinted at romance, but their flimsy marriage had to have passed between Light's lovely lips alone. He met Light's eyes. She was watching L with calculating intensity. What was it that she wanted to do? What reaction did she want to provoke?

Telling Mrs. Yagami would gain Light little footing. If nothing else, it would build tension between the pair. Was it to turn the older woman against him? A mother's instincts to protect her young were quite strong. Or was there a deeper reasoning?

Mind awhirl, the detective didn't respond, his thumb absently jabbed between his teeth, unblinking and barely breathing.

The silence was broken by Light, strangely enough, who strode from the door and passed L to walk down the stairs, her heeled shoes clicking against the concrete. L turned to watch her walk, only to have something heavy hit his chest in his lapse of attention. A suitcase? Why was Mrs. Yagami shoving a suitcase into his arms?

In fact, where did she get it?

"I expect you to bring her here for an hour every Saturday."

"Pardon?"

A lightning quick hand shot out and gripped his ear of all things, yanking harshly. L jerked back, but was unable to elude the elder Yagami female.

"Don't make me repeat myself, young man."

At this point, the occupant of the flat next to them opened the door and grinned, clearly amused by the scene.

"Afternoon."

Mrs. Yagami twisted L's ear as she offered a polite bow to the older gentleman, "Off to work, Mr. Johnston?"

"Indeed. Now, do try not to scar the young chap. I'm sure he's learned his lesson. Though you never know with kids these days."

"I'm no child..." L grumbled.

"I thought you were in a hurry, Ryuuzaki!" Light sounded almost...amused. She was likely watching this whole affair from the bottom of the stairs.

"That doesn't sound like little Sayu."

"My oldest."

"Ah. Boyfriend?"

"Husband," L offered, earning himself another twist of the ear. "Insufferable woman. Release me this instant."

"They eloped?"

"A few months ago. I was told today."

Mr. Johnston whistled, "Good luck, chap. You'll need it." He patted L on the shoulder and proceeded down the stairs. This was humiliating. And it would be in poor taste to break the hold that held him since this was Light's mother. Perhaps it was a mistake to return them together if this was the result.

A few second later, he was released, but Mrs. Yagami pinned him with a familiar stare.

"You have done a great deal for my family, Ryuuzaki, including saving my daughter's life...but I know Light has not told me the whole story. She's always been so careful. How would someone simply stumble upon her gender? Why would she be as foolish as to marry a near stranger who dangled her about in danger?" She crossed her arms. "I am thankful that I can see my Light as a woman grown, but I wonder if that reality was paid at too high a cost."

"Your daughter will remain safe."

"Tell me, is it true?"

"What is? The marriage? That I wish for her to be my envoy? Both of those things remain true."

She huffed and folded her hands primly, "That you love her."

"Light said that I..." he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I...it is true."

"Hm. Next Saturday. Noon I believe would be ideal."

"Mrs. Yagami, that may not be poss-" he coughed. "Very well."

"Good boy. Now off with you."

"Just one moment."

"Yes?"

"Light's gender...does it remain a secret?"

"If she wishes it. As of now, it is hers to keep or forsake. Did you think it was I who thought of dressing Light like that? For most of her life, I thought of her as a son. It is almost unsettling to see her look like that. To think of her...as a she. Despite everything, Light is my son as well as daughter. Whichever she chooses to be. And you should take care to respect that."

L blinked at the older woman, "I see. Light is fortunate to have a mother like yourself."

"Hmph. Don't flatter me, boy. You hurt her and I'll do more than twist your ear."

The threat made his heart ache. Oh, if only she knew the full truth; she'd never let him set eyes on her child again. Kidnapping, sexual harassment, physical violence and forced wedlock were not things any mother would approve of in a potential partner for her precious offspring. Not that he was planning on letting go of the creature who wrapped herself into his life so tightly.

"Duly noted. I must be going now."

He bowed courteously before lugging the trunk down the stairs. Light was leaning against his car, looking agitated. It was quite strange looking at her dressed like a female. He was quite used to her prim, son-of-money appearance, with loose hair and fitted slacks. Had she really been the one to volunteer herself for such a transformation?

"If Light wanted a dress, he could have asked." Slowly, L unlocked the car and stuffed in the trunk, filled with what he presumed were bricks judging by the sheer weight of the contraption. Light simply huffed arrogantly and settled in the passenger seat. A small smile crept on his lips. This was his Light. "While Mrs. Yagami's clothing suits her, it seems they do not flatter Light in the same way. If Light would like, I could take him-"

"Shut up. Just...shut up and drive."

L sat down in the driver's seat and squeezed the wheel.

Back in Japan, the cherry blossoms would be blooming soon. Just another month or so...

 _We were simply two people who met under the cherry blossom trees._

He started the ignition and pushed all thoughts aside as he pulled back into the street.

tbc

 **A/N: (Thanks for reading. Please review. Feedback is love, especially when I'm feeling uninspired. See y'all soon**


End file.
